


A Greater Balance

by Musickat18



Category: Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Also kind of Finn/Rose, Angst, Ben Solo gets hurt, Canon Compliant, F/M, Force Bond (Star Wars), Original Characters - Freeform, Post-TLJ, Reylo - Freeform, Romance, implied graphic torture, like physically hurt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-03
Updated: 2018-08-19
Packaged: 2019-03-12 23:49:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 37,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13558176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Musickat18/pseuds/Musickat18
Summary: Months after the battle of Crait, Supreme Leader Ren has his Knights of Ren conducting a secret search of the galaxy for the whereabouts of Rey. The Resistance, meanwhile, has sought refuge on the planet Naboo, hoping to evade the First Order long enough to rebuild. Both Kylo and Rey assumed the bond between had been broken, but abruptly it is reignited as they both feel the pull towards each other and a greater balance in the force.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: The characters and places in this story belong to Lucasfilm and Disney.
> 
> Thank you so much for clicking. This is my first time writing for the Star Wars fandom, so I'll warn you now that I love angst and tend to put a lot into my fics. I hope you'll join me on this journey. :) Without further adieu, I bring you:

**A Greater Balance**

_In the months since the battle of Crait, the Resistance has evaded capture and eradication by the First Order. Having learned years ago of her birth mother's origins, Leia and the Resistance have retreated on the Millenium Falcon to the planet of Naboo. She is hopeful the planet will provide safe haven for the last surviving child of the beloved Padmé Amidala._

_The First Order, now led by Supreme Leader Kylo Ren, has stopped their pursuit of the rebels. Commander Hux has become suspicious of Kylo's motives and is investigating what truly happened in the throne room when Supreme Leader Snoke was killed. Kylo, sensing Hux's suspicions, has tasked him with the search for a suitable planet from which to rule his new empire._

_Secretly, Kylo has ordered his Knights of Ren to conduct a search of the galaxy, hoping to discover the whereabouts of Rey._

* * *

 

**Chapter 1**

"Supreme Leader."

Kylo stood at the window of the Star Destroyer, wondering not for the first time which one of the stars Rey has fled to. This scavenger girl from no one and nowhere, who rejected his proposal, rejected him, had thus far evaded all his attempts at contact. He felt a pain in his chest at the thought, but ignored it. Annoyed at being interrupted he answered with a terse "Yes?"

A throat cleared and the messenger, a Knight of Ren called Zira Amla, said "We think we have found the location of the rebels."

Kylo whipped around. "And?" he demanded.

The Knight swallowed, the movement belying her external calm."The Millenium Falcon was last seen entering the Chommell sector."

Kylo frowned. The Chommell sector? "Do you have an exact location?"

Zira shook her head. "No we aren't sure which planet in the sector they landed on, but-" She paused as if unsure whether to continue.

Kylo narrowed his eyes. "Yes?"

Taking a deep breath she said, "The planet of Naboo is in that sector."

Kylo said nothing, but his eyebrows raised infinitesimally. "Yes of course," he said to himself. He turned back around and barked, "That will be all."

The Knight replied "Yes sir" but did not leave immediately. After a few moments of deliberation she asked, "Would you like me to inform Commander Hux?"

"No." Kylo thought quickly, turning back around and walking towards the Knight, his second in command among the Knights of Ren. "Say nothing to anyone. How many more are aware of the location?"

"Just myself and Knight Krye," she replied.

"Good." Kylo stepped closer, his gaze simmering. "Tell no one."

Unsurprised but nonetheless unnerved by the emotion in Kylo's eyes, Kira nodded. Kylo reached out a hand and she gasped , feeling the constricting of the force against her throat. "If anyone finds out, I'll know who told them and will not hesitate to punish you and your comrade severely. Is that clear?"

Zira nodded as best she could and Kylo let go. "Good. Now leave me."

Zira gasped as he released his hold on her, shock and anger that he would use such a tactic on her warring in her mind. Externally she stood tall and replied, "Yes sir."

Kylo narrowed his eyes at her as she left, feeling her emotions. Turning around, he walked back to the window, his mind racing. So his mother had fled to Naboo. An interesting choice, given their family ties there. Why go someplace so obvious? Unless…could the Resistance really be on their own this time? Hux had informed him of a signal sent from the based on Crait, presumably asking for help. Perhaps no one responded.

Fear gripped him as he pondered the outcome should Hux become aware of the rebels' location. He would stop at nothing to eradicate the Resistance, a sentiment Kylo would be forced to agree with if he wished to keep up the ruse he was now playing. In his anger and betrayal at Rey's refusal to join him he had felt the all consuming desire to eradicate everything on Crait, everything his parents had stood for, everything tying him to light. Now, however, the rage had cooled and in its place were fear and loneliness. Kylo embraced them, as it helped keep him tied to the dark, the source of his power in the force.

He felt a movement in the force within him, almost like a tug, and his breath caught. He had thought the connection broken. Swallowing the rush of emotions flooding his mind, he turned around. Rey stood several feet away, standing straight, her hands clasped behind her back. She didn't look at him, though whether this was because she did not see him or because she was preoccupied he didn't know. He suspected it was the latter.

"Rey." His voice was soft, pleading. Her eyes flicked briefly to him before returning to front. Her breath hitched, the only other sign that she could see him. He stepped closer, fear and hurt deepening at her refusal to acknowledge him. He swallowed again, wishing not for the first time that things had gone differently in the throne room. He opened his mouth, unsure what to say to get her to look at him.

"I know where you are."

* * *

 Rey whipped her head to look at Kylo, fear blooming in her chest. She fought it down, swallowing and returning her gaze forward. She couldn't deal with Kylo now. She was needed here, in the moment. She felt conspicuous among the nobility of Naboo in her scavenger's clothing, and struggled to keep her feelings of self worth in check. On either side of her stood Finn and Poe, watching as Leia continued her plea to the current Queen.

"Your Majesty, first allow me to thank you for seeing us."

The Queen held up a hand. Rey tried not to stare at her regalia, never having seen the likes of it before. She was surprised to note that beneath the painted face and elaborate clothing was a young girl, possibly younger than Rey herself.

"It is no small thing to refuse the daughter of Padmé Amidala. You are welcome, though I do wonder what you expect of me."

Leia nodded her head. "Yes, I know that our being here is a risk for you and your people –"

Rey felt the brush of fingertips on her cheek and inhaled sharply. Finn glanced at her quickly, frowning in confusion. Shaking her head slightly to indicate everything was fine she turned back to face front. Moving her eyes to the side she saw Kylo was now standing between her and Poe. His gaze snagged hers and for a moment she forgot where she was. She drank in the sight of him, as he seemed to be doing with her. Despite everything that happened, the disappointment she felt at his refusal to stop pursuing the rebellion, she missed what had almost been, the beginning of friendship, a person she could confide in, had begun feeling…something for. The sight of him now caused a sharp pain to course through her and she mouthed the words "please stop." Kylo again reached out to brush her cheek with his fingers.

"I know where you are," he repeated, tilting his head as he continued gazing at her. Through their connection she could feel the hope he was trying to keep under control. "I can come get you. It's not too late to join me."

Rey closed her eyes, swallowing. A range of emotions warred within her. Fear, regret, disappointment, loneliness, and longing all fought for her attention, but it was disappointment that won out. Opening her eyes she whispered, "Yes it is." Kylo withdrew his hand and it was hurt she glimpsed in his eyes before the connection was lost and he winked out of sight.

* * *

 Kylo stood stunned for a moment staring at the place Rey had been standing, his breath coming in sharp bursts. He looked around, emotion brewing as he replayed the encounter in his mind. He left his throne room for his private quarters and began pacing, his breath coming faster as his emotions festered. Pain, sorrow, and rejection all rose but he quashed them, preferring to let anger grow instead. Anger was easiest.

What had Rey been doing? Why had she ignored him? Why did she continue to reject him? His breath came faster and his eyes began darting around the room, focusing on nothing as he continued to seethe. He began to feel the stirrings of an energy, as he always did when he let his anger take control, like an itching beneath his skin demanding to be scratched. He had not felt it since his confrontation with Skywalker, but welcomed it now. He paced faster, huffing louder, until he could take it no longer. He stopped pacing, ignited his light saber, and released the rage. His vision clouded as he slashed back and forth, unaware of which targets he destroyed, not caring.

After several moments his vision cleared, his rage now spent, and he surveyed the damage, breathing heavily. Paper and other debris floated down gently onto the destroyed remnants his furniture. The items themselves meant nothing to him, but now that the rage was cooling in its place were the familiar feelings of panic and shame. He swallowed, thinking of Hux's reaction when he found out. Though he made a shallow attempt to keep his feelings veiled, Kylo sensed Hux's inner war between glee and frustration at every failure of Kylo's, no matter how small. Kylo had considered on more than one occasion of simply ridding himself of the Commander. He had never liked the man and had wondered on more than one occasion why Snoke had allowed such a man to stay in his favor. But Kylo had no desire to lead the masses directly nor the patience to find an adequate replacement, so Hux stayed for now.

The report from Zira and the reconnection with Rey had changed things however. He marched out of his room toward the hangar deck, an idea forming. Thinking quickly he used his comlink, first to hail Zira and then Hux. When he arrived at the deck he was greeted with multiple salutes.

"Ready my ship," he barked.

"Yes, Supreme Leader." Several people rushed off to do his bidding.

While he waited he resisted the urge to pace. Now that he had a half formed plan, he was eager to see to it. Hux arrived first, walking up and saluting him. His outward appearance was of a model subordinate, but Kylo both sensed his contempt and glimpsed it in Hux's eyes.

Kylo narrowed his own eyes, but did not have the patience to deal with Hux at the moment. "General," he said, "I am going on a journey. I do not know how long I will be gone."

"Yes, Supreme Leader." Hux narrowed his own eyes infinitesimally. "Might I inquire as to what nature this journey will be?"

"I have been having my Knights search the galaxy for several Sith artifacts. They have found a possible location for one and I will be going to retrieve it." The lie rolled off Kylo's tongue. He had come up with the cover story months ago in the event Hux snooped too deeply into what, or who, he was having his Knights of Ren look for, but surprisingly this was the first opportunity he had needed to use it. He felt Hux's contempt grow, knowing how the man felt about the old ways, but he wisely kept it from leeching into his demeanor.

"Would it not be more prudent," Hux asked, suspicion dawning, "if you sent one of your Knights of Ren on the journey instead?"

"No, it would not."

"And what, if I may ask, are we to do while you are way?"

Zira walked in and Kylo waved a hand at Hux. "Continue searching for a suitable planet on which to establish my empire. You have my specifications." Not caring to properly dismiss the commander, he turned to Zira, who bowed.

"Per your recent discovery," he said to her, "I will be leaving in search of its specific location." Kylo despised intrigue, but when the price to be paid for artlessness was Rey in Hux's grasp he was willing to make an exception.

Zira nodded, comprehension in her eyes. "Yes, Supreme Leader. And per your request the coordinates have been uploaded onto the ship."

Kylo nodded. "I leave you in charge in my absence."

"Supreme Leader." A soldier saluted him. "Your ship is ready."

Without glancing back, Kylo walked briskly towards the ship.

* * *

 

Rey stood off to herself, staring at a mosaic. There were many in the sprawling castle corridors, but this one had caught her eye. Like many of them it depicted a young woman, obviously one of Naboo's sovereigns. Her face was painted white with red dots on her cheeks and a red stripe on her bottom lip. Her regalia was styled in black, gold, and red with a heavy-looking head piece on top. But that wasn't what had captured Rey's attention. The moment she had looked upon it there had seemed to be something familiar about the woman's eyes.

"I see you found Leia's mother."

Rey started at the voice and looked over to find Poe now looking at the mosaic as well. "This is her mother?"

Poe nodded. "Padme Amidala. One of Naboo's greatest legends. The people elect their sovereigns here and if the stories are to be believed, they tried to get the constitution amended so she could stay in office."

"What happened to her?" Rey knew Darth Vader was the father of Luke and Leia and had a hard time believing the woman Poe described would have married such a man.

Poe shrugged. "No one really knows and those who did are dead. No one outside of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Vader himself knew who the father of her children were at the time and officially she was still pregnant when she died. Now, of course, we know that wasn't true."

Rey turned back to the mosaic. This was Ben's heritage. Sadness hit her as she contemplated what it would be like to come from such a family. His was full of greatness, both good and bad, while her heritage was wasting away on Jakku like all the other junk there.

"Rey. Poe. " Finn beckoned them over. It appeared they were leaving. As she turned to leave she glanced at the mosaic again and realized why it had seemed so familiar. Ben had his grandmother's eyes.

* * *

 

"There." Leia pointed to a forest along the edge of a field. Chewbacca and Rey flew the Falcon into it and landed. As they exited Rey looked around, thinking of the other times she had been in a forest, both with Ben present. Pushing those thoughts away, she chose to marvel once more at the greenery surrounding her. Just beyond the edge of the forest was a sprawling expanse of grass that ended in a shimmering lake in the distance.

Leia walked and stood next to Rey. "They call this the lake country."

"It's beautiful," Rey said, glancing at Leia.

Leia nodded. "Yes it is." Turning around she nodded. "This way. It's a bit of a walk."

They headed further into the forest. Rey glanced around, trying not to think about how few their numbers were. It had been months since the attack on Crait and they had been met with nothing but closed doors. Despite the First Order's loss of the Starkiller base, many in the galaxy were unwilling to go against them. Leia had said it was the same when the empire was in power, had told Rey not to worry, had reminded her of the Empire's end. As she walked she felt the slap of books against her thigh. The Jedi texts were with her always in her bag when they left the Falcon. They were in an ancient language and it was slow going getting it translated. Not for the first time did she wish she had help. The burden of being the sole owner of the Jedi texts was weighing on her. She knew she needed training, but had nothing aside from untranslated books to help her.

Suddenly they stopped walking. Leia gestured towards the ground in front of them and both Poe and Finn rushed to brush aside greenery hiding what looked like a heavy iron trap door. Leia pulled a key from a chain hidden beneath her shirt and bent down, unlocking it and stepping aside to let Poe open it.

"Alright," she said, gesturing to the dark hole. "Who's going first?"

No one volunteered immediately, although Finn and Rose were whispering furiously. Rey was about to volunteer when Rose pushed Finn forward and said "We'll go first."

Finn sighed. "I guess we're going first." As he climbed down, he looked at Rey and rolled his eyes.

Rey smiled at them as Rose climbed down after Finn and walked over to climb down behind them. The hole wasn't very large in circumference and as she descended she was reminded of some of her tighter squeezes while collecting junk on Jakku. Below her she heard Finn mumble "A light would be really useful right about now." Rey didn't disagree. As she climbed lower she wondered where exactly they were going and how far down the climb would be. She began counting steps to distract herself.

Ten.

Fifty.

Three hundred.

It was silent, just the steps of a couple dozen people descending into the depths of the earth. Just shy of eight hundred steps later she heard Finn say, "Finally." When she reached the bottom she felt a hand grab her shoulder to pull her away from the ladder. She stepped aside, wishing she could use her light saber for light. The remnants of the light saber remained in her bag alongside the books. As she flipped through one of them she had seen what looked like instructions for building your own. She had started there when translating, but hadn't finished yet.

A light flared as Leia exited the steps, Poe shortly behind her. Rey held up a hand against the brightness. When her eyes adjusted she looked around. They appeared to be at the end of a long tunnel. It was wide enough that they could walk in pairs and tall enough that no one bumped their heads, but it still felt a little claustrophobic. Poe led the way as they started down the tunnel.

"This way everyone."

People began trickling after him. Rey hung back. Even without a light saber she wanted to bring up the rear in case they were ambushed. Leia waited until the others had passed as well and fell in step beside Rey. They walked for some time in silence before Rey turned to Leia.

"Poe told me your mother is from here."

Leia nodded. "Yes, although I never knew her."

Rey frowned. "I'm sorry."

Leia smiled at her. "Don't be. I had wonderful adoptive parents." Her smile turned sad and she appeared to be lost in memories. Rey, loath to interrupt, trained her eyes forward and continued walking. Sometime later Leia spoke again. "I do wish I had known her. Those who knew her say she was an amazing woman."

"Do you have family here?" Rey asked.

Leia nodded. "I have some distant relatives. My mother had a sister. My cousins are gone, but their family still survives. They're the ones who've provided us with this accommodation."

Rey glanced around. "Where are we going?"

"My birth mother's family has a house on the lake. Sometime after the fall of the Galactic Senate they built a sort of bunker beneath it. We came in through the emergency exit." Leia sighed. "Naboo isn't the safest place for us to continue our mission, but it's all we have."

They walked on in silence after that, each lost in their own thoughts. Rey could guess who Leia was thinking about because her own mind had gone to the same place. Rey wondered if she should let Leia know that Ben had told her he knew where they were. But how could he know? Even if he knew the planet they were on, how would he know their exact location?

She would like to think he wouldn't do anything drastic to find them, but she knew better. He had continued his pursuit of the rebels after she left his ship, and had done so without mercy. Her heart ached to think of the look on his face when she had shut the door on their connection, and the look on his face today when they had reconnected. She wondered what had brought the connection back. After so many months without a glimmer of connection she had thought the connection was well and truly severed and had spent many nights reminding herself why that was a good thing. She reminded herself now that the connection today would only spell disaster, but it didn't stop her heart from fluttering at the thought of seeing him again. Up ahead she heart Rose laugh and felt her loneliness return. It wasn't quite jealousy that she felt towards Finn and Rose. She was happy for them. But in her heart she wished she could also have an easy relationship with a suitable companion.

After what had to be a couple miles of walking Rey noticed the ground begin to slop upwards. It was a hard trek after that, but eventually they came up to another iron door. Leia again took the key out of her shirt and unlocked it. As Rey walked through the door she thought the word "bunker" was an adequate description for the metal and rock box they entered. They seemed to be in a sort of main living space with half a dozen doors along either side that led to individual suites.

"We'll have to share, but there should be enough beds and couches for everyone." Leia walked to one of the doors. "Everyone pick a room and get settled…We don't know how long we'll be here." She pointed towards a door opposite the one they had just entered through. "That leads to the main house and the outside. We'll have to use precautions, but should be able to go outside if we're careful."

As people paired off into each of the rooms Rey looked around. She supposed she could stay with Finn and Rose, but felt oddly strange about intruding.

"Rey."

She glanced over to see Leia gesturing her over. When she walked over Leia said "You can stay with me."

Rey, shocked, replied "Are you sure?" She looked around. "I would have thought you'd have Poe stay with you."

Leia chuckled and shook her head. "It's best if Poe and I keep separate quarters. Come on." She gestured towards the door and Rey, still shocked and unsure by the request, walked through it. Whoever had built this bunker had spared no expense. Though the walls and ceiling were made of stone, there was a large canopied bed on one end, a plush sofa and chairs set around a coffee table on one side, and a bathing room off to the other. Rey set her staff and bag next to the couch.

"I can sleep here."

Leia nodded, looking around and setting her things beside the bed. Rey, feeling awkward and unsure what to do next, sat down on the sofa and looked around. This was easily the nicest place she had ever stayed in and she wasn't quite sure what to do with herself. Leia nodded towards the bathing room.

"I'm going to go ahead and freshen up. Please make yourself at home."

After Leia exited Rey stared at the closed door, not really seeing it. Now that she had a few moments alone, she was reliving her most recent connection with Kylo. The fluttering in her chest came back as she thought of the way he had brushed her cheek with his fingers. She closed her eyes, willing herself to again remember that he had not stopped the First Order's attack, that he had continued it after she left. She had made the right decision by rejecting his offer, but that same decision had left her with what felt like a hole in her chest. A familiar sense of loneliness hit her now and with it came an almost tug-like sensation in the force within her. Why was this happening again?

Kylo appeared in front of her, sitting in one of the chairs. He looked equally surprised to see her. She inhaled and exhaled sharply.

"Why does this keep happening?" she whispered, worried Leia might overhear. "I thought I severed the connection."

Kylo ignored her question. "I've been looking for you." He tilted his head to the side, again seeming to drink her in.

Rey took a shaky breath in. "I thought you said you know where I am."

Kylo looked to the side and Rey wondered if he could see her surroundings. "I know which sector you're in and which planet is in that sector." He looked at her again. "I would say you're visiting my relatives."

Rey swallowed and Kylo's eyes followed the movement before returning to her eyes. She shook her head. "Why are you doing this? Why are you searching for me?"

"I want you beside me," was his simple answer.

"But-" Rey shook her head again, not understanding. "You haven't changed, Ben. I can't be beside you while you lead the First Order."

"I have," he insisted. "It's you who haven't changed. You're still holding on to the past, refusing to let it go."

"No." Rey frowned. "No. I can't let go of the resistance when the First Order, the order which you are now the supreme leader of, continues to oppress the galaxy. That's not what I stand for."

Kylo looked away for a moment and then back again. "You don't know what you stand for. All you have are a bunch of myths and lies from Skywalker."

Rey stood up. "You're wrong. I have – " She stopped just before she admitted the truth. She did not want him knowing she had the Jedi texts.

"What?" Kylo leaned forward, looking up at her. "What do you have?"

Before Rey could answer there was a gasp at the door. They both turned to see Leia, a halo of light in the doorway behind her, eyes wide as she stared at the chair in which Kylo appeared to be sitting.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick note about the title. So sorry to change it after posting, but there was already a fic out there with the same name that's currently still updating and I didn't realize it at the time. I definitely didn't want to confuse anyone or step on anyone's toes. It's difficult coming up with titles in such a huge fandom! :)

#  **Chapter 2**

Rey looked back to Kylo only to find him gone. She stood up rapidly and walked over to Leia.

“I can explain,” she began, and then stopped. Leia was still staring at the spot Kylo had been and holding onto the doorway as if it were the only thing keeping her standing. Rey reached out a hand to Leia’s shoulder. “Are you alright?”

Leia looked away from the chair to Rey. “Was that really him? Was it Ben?”

Rey paused at the look on Leia’s face, part hope, part devastation. She wondered how long it had been since Leia had seen her son.  A thought occurred to her and she frowned. Why could Leia see Kylo when no one else had seen him the last time he appeared to her?

“Yes,” she finally replied. “It was him.”

Leia walked shakily to the couch, sitting down opposite the chair. She seemed lost in her own thoughts. Rey, not wanting to intrude but unsure of what to do, remained standing by the doorway. After several minutes Leia composed herself, squaring her shoulders and looking back at Rey.

“How was he here?” she asked.

Rey walked over to the couch and sat down, looking at her hands. “I don’t really know how it works.” She glanced at Leia, who was listening intently. “After I found Luke, when I was on the island, I just woke up one morning and something felt different. And then there he was.” She fidgeted. “We have a sort of c-connection.” She stumbled over the word, feeling oddly embarrassed. She looked at Leia again. “You could see him?”

Leia closed her eyes. “Yes. I could see him.”

Rey frowned again, not understanding. “But how? No one else can see him. The only other person was-” She paused, understanding dawning, “Luke. It’s because you’re sensitive to the force.”

Leia nodded. “I was standing there and then felt his presence. I hadn’t felt him since – “ She stopped, a pained expression on her face. “Since the ship’s bridge was breached,” she finished.

Rey leaned forward, horror dawning as she realized Leia’s meaning. “You mean…you can’t mean that Ben was the one who shot it?”

Leia shook her head once. “I don’t know for sure. But he was there when it happened…I felt him.” All of a sudden she seemed to collect herself and looked at Rey, her gaze sharpening. “Does he know where we are?”

Rey’s heart dropped and she nodded. “He knows we’re on Naboo. How, I don’t know.”

Leia leaned back on the couch and put a hand over her eyes. “He doesn’t know about this bunker. He’s never been to Naboo, at least not…before he went to the academy, although it’s possible he knows about the family we have here and the house above us.”

Rey spoke quietly, “Is there any place else we can go?”

Leia sighed. “Only more obvious places, former rebellion bases. This was my last resort to lose the First Order so we could regroup.” She stood up. “I’d better call the leaders together and come up with a plan.”

Rey stood quickly. “No, wait!”

Leia looked at her, surprised, and Rey swallowed. She had blurted it out without thinking, a kneejerk reaction. “I just...he doesn’t know where we are exactly. And you said yourself this was your last resort. If we run, he’ll only find us again.”

Leia looked at her a moment, then shook her head. “They need to know. We can’t keep this a secret.”

Rey reach out towards Leia and looked at her, pleading. “Please. I…I don’t want them to know about the connection.” She paused for a moment, before adding, “I don’t want them to think less of me.”

Leia laid a hand on Rey’s hair. “No one will think less of you. But if you’re so concerned we don’t need to mention the connection. We’ll tell them I received intel.”

Rey let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. “Thank you.”

Leia looked at Rey a moment longer, a faint smile on her face, before turning around and heading out to tell the others.

* * *

 

Kylo put the ship on autopilot and stood up, heart racing. He paced the cockpit, eyes darting everywhere and seeing nothing. He had not seen his mother in years. He swallowed and shook himself mentally. His mother was the one who shipped him off to Skywalker in the first place. Skywalker, who had tried to kill him when he was younger and who had taunted him on Crait. He felt the familiar rage at being deprived his revenge and tried to hold onto the feeling as his thoughts continued to spiral.

Despite attempting to keep the memory at bay, he recalled his father in the moments before Kylo had killed him saying “we miss you”. His anger crashed into loneliness and regret at the memory. He pictured the look of shock on his mother’s face and felt a tightening in his chest. Did she truly miss him?

He shoved the question aside, choosing instead to focus on a more pressing matter. His mother would now know of the bond between himself and Rey. Would she expose it to everyone? Would they leave Naboo before he got there? He walked briskly to the controls to see how much longer until he arrived and sneered. Too long. They could be gone before he got there. He pounded his fist on the controls in frustration. It had taken months to find them. Who knows how long it would take to find them again should they disappear.

Sitting down, he recalled Rey’s abrupt cut off and pondered its meaning. What was it she was hiding? It frustrated him that she continued to keep herself from him. Why couldn’t she see what he was trying to do? Had she not noticed that the First Order had stopped their pursuit months ago? Why did she continue to expect only the worst of him? He had thought she understood him, had killed Snoke in part because of his devotion to their future together. Again he asked himself why she refused to see? More importantly, how was he going to get her to see beyond the rebellion and the First Order, to see him?

* * *

 

Hours later he lay in his bed, restless, unable to sleep. Frustrated, he threw off the covers, stood up, and began pacing. If only he knew how to ignite the bond between them. If he could control when he saw her, maybe the connection wouldn’t be so easily broken. He stopped pacing and closed his eyes, concentrating on the feeling of the force within him, trying to find…something, anything that felt like it might be what he needed, a thread to lead him to Rey.

He didn’t know how long he had been standing there, it could have been minutes, it could have been hours, but at last he felt something different within the force. It felt as if there was indeed a thread, tied to him and leading elsewhere. He concentrated on it, followed it and tried to tug. He felt a change in the air around him and opened his eyes. Rey stood before him, surprise and something like heat in her expression before she masked it. He glanced down, seeing he was wearing only his sleeping pants. He smirked at her affectation of calm, hope blooming in his chest.

“How...” she shook her head, glancing around her before walking a few steps towards him. “How did you start the connection yourself?”

Kylo tilted his head as he looked at her. “I concentrated until I felt the connection between us.” He leaned subtly forward. “How did you know I was the one who connected us?”

She shook her head again, frowning in confusion. “I don’t know. It just felt different…almost like you were tugging me towards you.” She glanced around suddenly. “I can’t talk now. You have to go.”

Desperation grabbed hold of him as he felt her begin to reach out towards their connection, likely trying to sever it. “Are you leaving Naboo?”

Rey looked at him, but didn’t respond for several seconds. “I can’t tell you. Leia knows about our connection. I convinced her not to tell the others about it for now, but it’s only a matter of time before they find out.”

Kylo glanced away at the sadness that entered her expression. “Afraid the mighty members of the resistance will judge you?” His question dripped with bitterness.

Rey shook her head. “It’s not that.”

Kylo narrowed his eyes. “Don’t lie.”

Rey’s pressed her lips together, her expression limned with worry. “It’s not _just_ that.”

“Then what is it?” He stared at her, silently urging her to speak the truth.

She frowned at him a few moments, unsure, before answering. “If they know that you have a connection to me, they could exile me from the resistance. I’m a liability now.”

Kylo’s face softened in surprise. He shook his head. “I would never hurt you.”

“It’s not me I’m worried about.” She looked away a moment before returning her eyes to his. “Why did you continue hunting the resistance?”

Deliberately mistaking her meaning he replied, “I haven’t been hunting the resistance. I’ve been searching for you.”

She shook her head. “That’s not what I meant.” She took another step towards him. “Why did you keep pursuing the resistance after I left in Snoke’s escape pod?” She took yet another step, coming close enough for him to touch. His heart raced. “Why did you not stop bombing the resistance when I asked you to?”

He gazed down at her, deliberating his answer. “What good has the resistance done anyone?”

Rey recoiled. “What good have they done?” Her voice began to raise. “They’ve fought against Snoke, the man who destroyed planets, the man who destroyed you.”

Kylo felt pain lance through him at her mention of Snoke, the master who had only been after him for his power, just as his father had said. He stepped towards Rey and she took a step back. “But what good have they done? They weren’t the ones who defeated Snoke. I was. The resistance is nothing but a bunch of nobodies parading around as the saviors of the galaxy.”

Rey gave him a hard look. “Well one of those nobodies is your mother.” Her expression softened as she looked at him, a mix of emotions appearing on her face. Raising her chin she said softly, “Found it.” Before he could respond the connection between them snapped like a plucked string and she disappeared from in front of him.

* * *

 

Rey rubbed her eyes, the letters in front of her blurring. It was late, but she was nearly done translating the section on building a light saber and wanted to finish it as soon as possible. With Kylo’s arrival on Naboo imminent, she didn’t want to be left without a weapon to match his. Her heart twisted at the thought of facing him on the battlefield again, but she pushed the feeling aside and forced herself to return to the translation.

"Huuguughghg aaaaahnr huurh uggguh.”

Rey started, not having heard the wookie approach, and glanced over at him. “I’m just trying to get this translation done.”

Chewbacca motioned towards the door to her quarters. “Huurh uughguughhhghghghhhgh.”

Rey shook her head, rubbing her eyes again. “I need to finish this.”

“Huuguughghg.” Chewie reluctantly turned towards his own room.

Rey turned back to the translation, then paused, looking back at Chewie. “Wait.”

Chewbacca turned back. “Uugggh?”

“Can I ask you a question? About Ben?”

A mixture of emotions flew across Chewies eyes before he replied, “Uugggh.”

Rey looked down at her hands a moment, wondering if she truly wanted to know his answer to her question. “Do you hate Ben? For…for what he did to Han?”

Sadness entered Chewie’s expression. “Aguhwwgggghhh uughguughhhghghghhhgh uuh huuguughghg.”

Rey softly replied, “It matters to me.”

“Raaaaaahhgh wrrhw wuuh huurh.”

Rey nodded. “You’re right. He’s not.” She walked over to Chewbacca and put a hand on his arm. “But what if he could be again? Could you forgive him?”

Chewbacca paused a moment before responding. “Aarrragghuuhw uughguughhhghghghhhgh raaaaahhgh.”

Rey nodded again and Chewbacca walked back into his room. Turning back to the Jedi texts she pondered Chewie’s answer. He had shot Kylo after Han’s death, but he had also helped Rey when she had gone to Kylo, despite his misgivings. Though Chewbacca said he didn’t know if he could forgive Kylo, Rey suddenly felt sure he wouldn’t try to harm him unless provoked. And that thought gave her a small measure of hope.

* * *

 

Though she had been up late, Rey woke early after a restless night’s sleep. Her worry over her liability to the Resistance had kept her tossing and turning throughout the night. Her body ached from exhaustion but Rey got up anyway, knowing more sleep was unlikely. She glanced at the bed and found it empty. Leia was already up it seemed.

When Rey entered the common area she found it largely empty, only a few folks milling about, eating breakfast. She wandered over to the dining area and grabbed a quick meal. As she was finishing up, Finn and Rose walked over.

“Morning!” Rose exclaimed brightly, heading over to the food.

Finn rolled his eyes at her chipper greeting and Rey bit her lip to keep from smiling. “Good morning,” she replied, standing up.

“What are you up to today?” Finn asked, grabbing a bowl and helping himself to food.

Rey shrugged as she washed her own bowl. “Nothing much. I’m hoping to get in some training, but aside from that nothing.”

Finn nodded. “Great. I’ll join you.” He wandered over to join Rose at the table.

Rey raised her eyebrows. “You want to train?”

Finn shook his head. “Not really. But I don’t want to be stuck underground all day either.”

Rey hid her smile. “Well, I wasn’t planning on going above ground. We’re trying to lay low, remember?”

Finn rolled his eyes as he shoveled food into his mouth. “Please.” He waved his spoon around. “Where will you be able to train in here?”

Rey looked around and then frowned. He was right. It was close quarters, even if there weren’t many of them, and there weren’t any spare rooms. “I guess I won’t be training after all,” she said, disappointment evident in her tone. Perhaps her time would be better spent rebuilding her light saber. If Kylo was truly seeking them, then perhaps training wasn’t as important.

“Go back into the woods we landed in,” Finn replied. “Just stay far away from the entrance and no one will find us. It’s a big planet.”

Rey contemplated his idea, unsure. He wasn’t aware of her connection to Kylo, so he wasn’t fully aware of the dangers involved. Then again, perhaps it would be best if Kylo did find her when she wasn’t with the rest of the resistance. But she didn’t want Finn there when he did.

Squaring her shoulders she said, “You’re right. Great idea. But you won’t be joining me.”

Taken aback, Finn replied, “What? Why not?”

“It’s too dangerous,” Rey answered. “If the First Order arrives, I can’t protect you.”

Rose chose this moment to chime in. “Wouldn’t it be better to have someone else there with you in case they do come?”

Finn nodded and looked at Rey. “I’ll bring my weapon and keep lookout.”

Rey bit her lip, wanting the company but not sure it was worth the risk of Finn’s capture. Finn got up, not letting her reply. “I’m coming with you.” He gestured towards her room. “Grab your staff and let’s get going.”

“Where are you going exactly?”

They all three looked over and found Leia standing a few feet away.

Rey cleared her throat. “I thought I might head up top and train,” adding quickly, “but of course far away from our location. I-I thought it might be best if I stayed away from the bunker in case the First Order arrives.” She tried to silently communicate with Leia her fear of being near the Resistance if Kylo found her.

Understanding sparked in Leia’s eyes and she nodded. “Just make sure you’re far away when you stop.”

Rey let out a breath and nodded. A hand clapped on her shoulder. “Great,” Finn said, ”Let’s get going.”

Rey looked over at him and sighed. “Are you sure?”

Finn raised his eyebrows. “Sure about not being stuck in a bunker all day? Yes, I’m sure.”

Rey looked at Rose, who shook her head adding, “There are a bunch of things that need fixing around here. You two have fun.” Rey nodded, resigned.

“Well, I guess that’s settled,” she said to Finn. “Let’s go.”

* * *

 

The long trek back to the exit seemed much shorter than they remembered, perhaps because it was just the two of them. They both agreed it would be good to remain close enough that the entrance was within running distance, but far enough away that no one would discover it if they were caught. After walking for awhile, they came upon a small clearing in the trees, still hidden by the canopy above. Finn leaned against a tree with his back to Rey while she began her exercises.

Closing her eyes she breathed in, feeling the force around her. It amazed her how Naboo felt differently than Ahch-to had. With her eyes still closed she began her stretching exercises. The peace she found on the planet helped calm her nerves, still on edge after so many connections with Kylo in such a short period of time.

Once she completed her stretching she picked up her staff and began running through some basic combat exercises. Some she had picked up from Poe and Finn, although both of them preferred blasters to hand-to-hand combat. Others she had learned from her time on Jakku. After her first run through she turned to Finn to ask if he wanted to join her, only to find him asleep against a tree, lightly snoring.

She laughed to herself and ran through her exercises again. She swung the staff around, closing her eyes and letting herself sense the force flowing around her. She concentrated, trying to sense the barriers around the clearing. She parried forward, slashing the staff at one tree first, then another as she sensed them with each step she took.

She wasn’t sure how long she had been practicing, having lost herself in the feel of the force and the staff at the end of her arm, when abruptly she gasped, opening her eyes and swinging her staff around quickly. Rather than connect with the intruder, it was stopped by a hand. Rey’s eyes grew round in alarm as she looked first at the hand and then into the eyes of Kylo, standing there before her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Reviews are always appreciated. :) In case you were curious I used a wookie translator for the scenes with Chewie. I'm not sure how legit it is, but in case you were wondering here's what he says, in order:  
> Why are you awake?  
> Go to sleep  
> Fine  
> Yes?  
> It doesn't matter  
> He's not the boy I knew  
> I don't know.


	3. Chapter 3

# Chapter 3

Rey froze, clearly shocked to see him. Kylo returned her gaze evenly, though his own heart rate had spiked. It had been months since Kylo had been in Rey’s presence and he reveled in the feel of the force surrounding and connecting them. It was more potent when they were in close proximity.

“What…What are you doing here?” Rey sputtered.

Kylo’s mouth twitched upwards slightly, amused at her discombobulation. “I told you I knew you were on Naboo.”

A wrinkle appeared between Rey’s brows. “Yes, but…I didn’t sense you coming?” She shook her head. “How come I didn’t sense you?”

He enjoyed her confusion, enjoyed the pulse racing at her throat, knowing his proximity was the cause. “Come with me and I’ll teach you.”

The wrinkle between her brows turned into a frown. “No. You know I can’t.”

He took a step forward, intent on convincing her to join him this time. “Rey-“

She stepped back, swinging the staff away from him. “No.”

Suddenly there was the sound of scuttling behind Rey. They both turned towards it as Finn scrambled to his feet.

“Rey! Get down,” he yelled, pointing a blaster at Kylo.

Kylo began to raise his hand to defend himself but before he could Rey yelled “STOP!” and stopped the blaster bolt in the air. Despite his flash of anger at the interruption, Kylo’s mouth twitched upwards again, knowing she had gleaned that particular trick from their shared bond. Then he turned towards Rey’s traitorous friend, his anger at Finn’s attempt to shoot him barely contained.

The look on Finn’s face was a mixture of shock, confusion, and betrayal. He held the blaster aimed at Kylo. “Rey, what are you doing?” he demanded, glancing between them.

Rey too looked between Finn and Kylo, panic at having exposed herself evident in her expression. Bitterness clawed at Kylo at her embarrassment. He looked at her, attempting to keep his expression blank, and waited for her answer.

“I…I…” Rey swallowed, looking back at Kylo, as if for help. He narrowed his eyes slightly, daring her to answer truthfully.

She took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders and turning back towards Finn. He looked between her and Kylo and began shaking his head, the blaster still pointed at Kylo. “No…No Rey, tell me you’re not joining his side.”

Rey shook her head vigorously. “I’m not.” Kylo looked away, doing little to mask his annoyance.

“Then what’s going on?” Finn shook the blaster towards the suspended bolt. “Why are you protecting him?”

Kylo’s patience ran out. He turned towards Finn, not bothering to hide his contempt. “She belongs with me. I came to make sure she is.”

Confusion and disgust were immediately evident in Finn’s expression as he shook his head. “She doesn’t belong with you.” He took a step towards Kylo, who narrowed his eyes. It wouldn’t take much for Kylo to stop the traitor in his trajectory. It was only worry of what Rey would think that stopped him. “You’re evil,” Finn continued. “The First Order is the bane of the galaxy.” He advanced another step, blaster still pointed towards Kylo. “Rey would never join someone who would betray his own family.” Another step. “She would never join a murderer.”

“You know nothing,” Kylo responded. Scarcely contained anger burned in his chest at the mention of his family. Barely keeping a rein on it now, he turned towards Rey, who stood frozen, wide eyes trained on the both of them. “I take it you didn’t tell them of how you came to me?” Her lips parted and she shook her head, silently pleading with him to stop. He could sense her panic. It only fanned the flame of anger in his chest.

Finn turned his head towards her. “What is he talking about?”

Rey closed her eyes a moment before responding. “I did go to Snoke’s ship, to Ben, willingly.”

Finn only blinked at her. “Why?”

Rey opened and closed her mouth a few times, glancing at Kylo, whose patience with Rey’s reticence to admit the truth was running out. Her refusal to join him before they were interrupted also clawed at him. He felt his emotions beginning to spin out of control, though he attempted to keep his exterior calm. He could see by the way that she kept glancing quickly at him that Rey sensed his inner turmoil, just as he sensed hers.

Finn asked again. “Why, Rey?”

Rey inhaled and exhaled quickly. “Because I wanted to bring Ben back to the resistance.” Her eyes darted towards Kylo and then away. “Because with him on our side we will defeat the First Order.”

Finn stared at her, mouth open. Kylo seized his moment of distraction and shock to steal his blaster out of his hand, pulling it into his own and immediately pointing it at the traitor.

Rey immediately screamed “NO!” Finn whipped his head around, arms up as if to defend himself, and then fell to the ground unconscious. The previously frozen bolt suddenly flew past Kylo and hit a tree behind him.

Kylo looked first at Finn, then at Rey and raised his eyebrows. “You knocked him out.”

Rey huffed. “To keep you from shooting him.” She marched over to him and grabbed the blaster out of his hand. He let her, but then grabbed her wrist before she could back away. The irritation in her expression melted away.

“Rey,” he said softly, his thumb brushing across the inside of her wrist. Her breath hitched as they stared at each other, his heart rate increasing again at the contact. After a prolonged moment he continued. “You belong with me.”

She shook her head slightly, but didn’t respond. He sensed the indecision warring in her mind and felt his own anger and rejection waiver, hope dawning once more. He took a step closer, so that she had to tilt her head up to look at him. His hand on her wrist remained the only place they touched, but it felt intimate. She breathed in slowly, as if trying to keep herself calm.

“You know why I can’t,” she replied, sadness in her expression. “It’s not that I don’t want to join you-“

“Then join me,” he interrupted, hope growing.

“It’s not that I don’t want to join you,” she continued, more purposefully, “but I cannot and will not betray my friends, my morals, or,” she lifted her chin, “my belief in the return of Ben Solo.”

Before he could reply his holoprojector chirped. He let out a sigh of exasperation and let go of Rey’s wrist. When he turned it on Zira appeared before him. “Pardon the intrusion, sir, but Hux is headed to Naboo as we speak.”

Kylo whipped away from Rey, exclaiming, “What?” He narrowed his eyes. “How does he know my location?”

Zira’s expression darkened. “It wasn’t me who informed him.”

Kylo felt the sting of betrayal. “Krye.”

Zira nodded. “She was the only other one who knew where you were headed.”

“I’ll deal with her when I return-“

Zira interrupted him, “You don’t have much time. I hailed you as soon as we dropped out of warp. We are in Naboo airspace right now.”

Though he knew Rey could take care of herself, panic seized him at the thought of Rey in Hux’s grasp. He glanced back at her. “I’m on my way now. Hold off Hux as long as you can.”

Zira nodded and then ended the connection. Kylo turned around and Rey put a hand on his arm. “Don’t go back. Come back with us. Join the Resistance. Fight against the First Order with us.”

He looked away and instead replied, “Will you come with me?”

Rey shook her head and took a step back, disappointment evident in her eyes.

He ignored it, anger at her rejection returning. “Then I have to go.” He wrenched his arm from her grasp and walking away quickly, headed towards his ship when Rey called out to him. He stopped and turned back.

“Will you tell Hux that you found the Resistance?”

Kylo sensed the fear she was trying to hide and wondered if he should soothe her discomfort after she yet again rejected him. He stared at her several moments debating before answering.

“No.”

Turning back around, he continued towards his ship, intent on keeping Hux from getting to Rey. _Or your mother_ , said a voice in the back of his mind. He pushed it aside and increased his pace.

* * *

 

Rey watched Kylo leave in silence. She sensed the anger, betrayal, and panic he was trying to keep at bay. It amazed her how strong their connection felt in close proximity and she wondered if he sensed her emotions as easily. The thought troubled her. Once he disappeared from view she shook her head, reminding herself she needed to get herself and Finn back to the safety of the base. Turning around she stared at Finn and concentrated, trying to remove whatever thing she had done to knock him unconscious. Guilt and worry gnawed at her at what she had done to her friend, though she reminded herself that it had been necessary to protect him. She only hoped he would see it that way.

Nothing she was doing seemed to be working and she began to panic over being discovered before they could get to safety. She glanced over her shoulder, waiting to hear the sound of approaching TIE fighters. Not knowing what else to do, she kneeled down and shook his shoulder. “Finn. Please wake up!”

He began stirring and Rey’s relief was instantaneous. His eyes opened and he seemed confused. “What happened?”

Rey pulled at his arm. “I’ll tell you later. We need to go.”

Finn’s expression abruptly cleared and he jumped up, wrenching his arm away from Rey and looking around quickly. “Where did he go? Where is that monster?”

Rey pushed at Finn. “He left –“

Finn whipped around in surprise. “Left? What do you mean he left?”

“Finn!” Rey said, exasperated. “We don’t have time for this. The First Order is on their way. We have to go now!”

At that moment they heard the sounds of a ship close by. Finn nodded quickly. “Right. Run now. Answers later.”

Rey nodded. “Yes. Answers later. Now go.”

They moved quickly towards the back entrance of the bunker. The sound of the ship seemed to be getting further away. Rey wondered if it was Kylo’s ship they heard and why she hadn’t heard it approaching before. She wondered again how Kylo had managed to mask his presence from her. Perhaps it was similar to Luke cutting himself off from the Force. She needed to find out so that it didn’t happen again.

As they moved quickly through the woods the sound of TIE fighters hit their ears. They were at a distance, but definitely approaching. Rey and Finn glanced at each other and then broke into a run. As they jumped over felled trees, getting scratched by errant tree branches, Rey hoped the canopy overhead would be enough to hide them. The Falcon came into view, much to Rey’s relief, indicating they were nearly there. She reached into her shirt and whipped the key off her neck. When they reached the doorway Rey’s hands were shaking, making it difficult to get the key in the hole. She paused to take a deep breath and tried again, this time successful. The approaching TIE fighters sounded nearly on top of them as first Finn and then Rey climbed down. Rey quickly sealed the door and they both breathed a sigh of relief.

Once at the bottom Rey turned on the flashlight and started the long trek back to the bunker. Before she had taken ten steps Finn said, “Rey.”

She turned to find him still rooted in place next to the ladder. She sighed, knowing she was going to have to explain herself.

Finn looked at her with a mixture of confusion and anger. “What happened back there? Why did you stop me from shooting him?”

“Because…” Rey searched for the words to make him understand. “Because there is still good in him. Because if he can be turned back to the light then we can end the war.”

“Turned back to the light?” Finn took a step forward, shaking his head, incredulous. “I have seen firsthand what Kylo Ren is like. There is no turning him back.”

“You don’t understand – “Rey began, but was interrupted.

“No. This is the same man who pursued us relentlessly on Crait. Who leads the First Order.” Finn’s voice rose. “Rey, this is the man who tried to kill his own mother!”

Rey shook her head. “He didn’t.”

“He shot a canon right at our base! He blew a hole in it!” Finn’s voice rose with each exclamation.

Rey put up her hands between them. “I know he did. But I have felt the war inside him. He can be turned. Please, Finn. Believe me.”

Finn stared at her a moment in disbelief, comprehension dawning. “You like him.”

She closed her eyes. “Finn-“

“I can’t believe this.”

Opening her eyes she saw Finn was pacing back and forth in the small space. He stopped and looked at her. “Does anyone else know about this?”

Rey swallowed. “Leia knows. But I asked her not to tell anyone. Please don’t tell anyone. I don’t want them to know yet.”

Finn laughed hollowly. “Don’t tell anyone,” he muttered to himself.

Rey took a few steps towards him, intent on convincing him, and then stopped, falling to the ground. Pain shot through her heart and she gasped. From a distance she heard Finn calling her name. Waves of pain flowed through the force, and she knew the source. She looked up at Finn.

“We have to go now.”

Finn grabbed her shoulders. “Rey, what’s wrong. What is it?”

She stood up, her hand still on her heart as the feeling began to recede. “We have to get to Leia now.”

Finn held on to her as she tried to walk by him. “You can’t go anywhere. You need to rest.”

“No!” she said sharply, wrenching her shoulders from his grasp and rushing around him. “We have to go now! We have to get help! We need to get to Leia now!”

The receding pain only fueled her panic as she ran down the corridor. After several moments she felt a hand on her shoulder.

“Please stop and tell me what’s going on,” Finn said, panting.

Rey took a deep breath, barely keeping a handle on her panic. “We have to get to Leia. Ben is hurt.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Reviews and Kudos always appreciated. :)


	4. Chapter 4

# Chapter 4

Kylo flew his ship towards the star destroyer, emotions spinning. Frustration at Rey’s continued rejection made it difficult for him focus on his surroundings. Knowing he was headed towards Jesmaae Krye, the Knight who had betrayed his whereabouts to Hux, was the only thing that kept him grounded in the moment.

As he neared the star destroyer he wondered just how far that betrayal had gone. Was Hux merely aware that the resistance was likely located on Naboo or was he aware of Kylo’s true motive behind locating them in secret? Hux had been suspicious of him ever since he had awoken to find Rey gone, and it had been difficult keeping him occupied with other things. Kylo knew he was walking the razor’s edge and sooner rather than later he was going to have to rid himself of the man or face the truth of what really happened in the throne room when Snoke was killed.

As Kylo landed the ship, he saw Hux, Jesmaae standing beside him, with a squad of storm troopers lined up behind them. Tendrils of apprehension unfurled in his stomach as he wondered where the rest of his Knights were. As he disembarked from the ship, he narrowed his eyes at Jesmaae who merely smirked at him in response. Hux looked almost gleeful as Kylo walked up. Not a good sign.

“Welcome back Supreme Leader,” Hux said, a smile on his face.

Kylo pried into Hux’s mind, trying to determine how much he knew.

“I trust you had a fruitful expedition?”

Kylo sensed that Hux was not just happy but downright ecstatic. Not a good sign at all.

“Yes,” was Kylo’s only response.

Hux clasped his hands together. “Excellent.” He turned towards the storm troopers behind him. “This man is a traitor to the First Order. Seize him.”

The storm troopers, having been trained to follow any command of Hux’s immediately, stepped forward. Time slowed for Kylo as his mind slipped into battle readiness. He turned towards the men and threw up a hand, the force flowing through him as he sent several flying backwards with enough force to incapacitate them. He reached for his light saber with his other hand, igniting it and rushing forward. Jesmaae pulled her own light saber to meet him and the remaining storm troopers pulled their weapons and began shooting. Kylo deflected their shots with his light saber and rushed them. They ran backwards shooting as they ran. Kylo could hear Hux shouting for more soldiers as he turned around just in time to block Jesmaae’s light saber from sheering into his side. He threw out his other hand, sending her flying backwards. Though she was force sensitive, her power was nothing to his own. He began charging towards her when he felt a sting on his left side. He fell to one knee, turning immediately and parrying several more blasts with his saber. He scrambled to his feet, blocking blast after blast, but quickly sensed that he was going to be overwhelmed. Though he was keeping them at bay, he saw out of the corner of his eye several more squads of storm troopers headed his way. He glanced to his side, hoping to make it back aboard his TIE Silencer, only to find the entrance now being blocked by more soldiers. In his distraction a blast hit his right shoulder and he narrowly avoided losing his grip on his light saber.

“Incapacitate him, but I want him alive!” screamed Hux.

Anger burned white hot in Kylo’s chest and he turned, charging towards Hux. He felt sting after sting as the blasters found their mark but it did little to slow him, so blind was he in his rage. Hux’s eyes grew round in alarm and he put up an arm in defense. Before Kylo’s light saber could find its mark however, Jesmaae’s own light saber blocked him.

“Shoot him!” she yelled, parrying him backwards. The multiple shots to his body were catching up to him and he could no longer overpower her. What’s more, blocking her as she advanced left the rest of his body open to the fire from the storm troopers. He stumbled, going down on one knee. Jesmaae knocked his saber out of his hand, pointing her own at his chest. He was shot several more times on his side and fell over, black spots dancing in his vision. He struggled to remain awake, but at last the pain overwhelmed him and he blacked out.

* * *

 

Rey hurried along the passageway, panic threatening to overtake her. Finn ran along behind her, trying to get her to stop and explain herself.

“Rey!” he yelled. “Wait! What is going on?” He stopped, gasping for breath as Rey skipped between a brisk walk and jogging. She had to get to Leia. They had to save Ben. Finn started running again, trying to catch up. “Would you please tell me how you know Kylo Ren is hurt?” Catching up to her, he grabbed her elbow, pulling her to a stop.

She wrenched her arm away from him. “We don’t have time for this!” she exclaimed, exasperated. “I promise I’ll tell you later. Right now we _have_ to get to Leia.” He peered at her a moment, puzzled, but then nodded his head. Turning around she broke into a run again, trying to make up time. The pain in her heart had faded and she didn’t want to think about the reasons why that would be.

When they reached the doorway Rey tore it open, looking frantically around for Leia. Poe, having just walked out of one of the rooms, noticed her and ran over.

“Rey,” he said, glancing between her and Finn, “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“Where’s Leia?” she asked, breathing hard.

Poe looked at her a beat and then simply said, “Follow me.” He led them to one of the bedrooms. “We converted this into the war room for the time being.”

They walked in and Leia looked up. Seeing the look on Rey’s face she asked “What’s wrong? What’s happened?”

Rey looked around at the rest of the people in there and then back at Leia. “We need to talk in private.” Rey tried to communicate that she had something to say about Ben. Leia frowned in worry and then nodded to the rest of the group. “I’d like to speak with Rey in private.”

Everyone filed out, Poe leaving last and closing the door behind him. As soon as the door slid shut Rey walked forward, her panic finally taking over. “Leia, it’s Ben. He’s hurt. I don’t know what’s happened, but I felt it. He’s hurt and I don’t know what to do. We have to find him. We have to save him before…before…” Leia grabbed Rey’s arm gently and took her over to the couch, pulling her down and sitting next to her.

“Rey,” she said, “calm down. Tell me what happened.”

Rey explained her encounter with Kylo in the woods while she was training, how he had received intel that the First Order had followed him to Naboo, how he had left to go back, and how shortly afterward, when she and Finn were on their way back she had felt pain filtering down through the bond. By the time she finished talking her heart rate had slowed considerably, though she still felt lightheaded and worried.

“We have to rescue him,” Rey said at the end.

Leia turned away from Rey, putting a hand over her eyes. The room was silent for several minutes as Rey tried not to demand Leia do something immediately. When Leia turned around her eyes were sad and Rey’s heart dropped.

“Rey,” Leia began, “We can’t –“

Rey interrupted, “What?” her voice hollow with disbelief. She shook her head, not understanding. “He’s your son. How can you not want to save him?”

Leia closed her eyes. “Believe me, Rey, it’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

“Then how can you leave him when he needs you?” Rey tried to keep the accusation from her voice, but heard it bleed through.

Leia opened her eyes and looked at Rey, pleading. “We don’t know what’s happened to him. And even if we did, we can’t take on the First Order. We couldn’t defeat them when we had many more resources. How are we supposed to defeat them now?”

“You said we had all we need,” Rey reminded her. “You said it! After the battle of Crait. We can do this! We _have_ to do this!” She grabbed Leia’s arm, pleading. “We have to.”

Leia didn’t answer for several minutes, but she looked between Rey’s eyes. Rey waited impatiently. “Please,” she whispered.

Leia sighed. “When you’re a leader responsible for the protection of other people,” she responded, “you can’t let your personal feelings interfere with that protection.”

Rey’s heart sank even further as the reality that Leia really wasn’t going to help her son hit her. Leia grabbed her hand.

“Believe me Rey. I want nothing more than to charge in there and bring my son home. It’s all I’ve wanted ever since I lost him. You have no idea how much I regret sending him away. But even if we had the resources, getting the others to agree to it would never happen. He’s the leader of the First Order now.”

Rey fell back on the couch, despair flooding her body.

Leia got up and walked towards the door. When she got there she turned around. “Rey.”

Rey looked over at her, heart aching.

“We do have everything we need. But what we need more of now is time…and information.” Without explaining further, she walked out the door.

* * *

 

Kylo slowly came to, his head pounding and body aching. Lifting his head he tried to bring a hand to his temple only to find it wouldn’t move. He looked over and realized both his hands were restrained on either side of his head. He pulled at the restraints, but they were strong.

“Sir,” a voice at the opposite end of the room said, “he’s awake.”

Kylo snapped his head forward, seeing Jesmaae, his own Knight, standing guard at the entrance of his cell. Kylo felt rage flare through his chest and lunged forward. The restraints immediately bit into his wrists and his shoulders burned with the exertion.

“YOU!” he spit at her. She returned his look evenly, though there was fire in her eyes. He reached a hand out and attempted to use the force to bring her light saber to him, but as he felt the force well up in him his entire body was suddenly wracked with a very strong, very intense burning sensation. It felt as if his every nerve ending was on fire. He heard screaming, only to realize half a second later that it was his own voice. As abruptly as the sensation began it stopped, leaving him feeling weak, a cold sweat breaking out on his upper lip. His head remained drooped forward but he rolled his eyes upwards, breathing heavily, and looked at Jesmaae, who was smirking with a remote in her hand.

“Can’t have you using your power against us, now can we?” she said.

“What?” Kylo gasped, still catching his breath.

She shook her head, mock disappointment on her face. “Did you think we were stupid enough not to plan for you using the force?” She laughed at him as he pulled against his restraints. “So intent on killing me that you didn’t even notice the collar around your neck.”

Confused he tilted his head down again, only then noticing the bite of metal against his chin. He was about to respond when the door opened and Hux waltzed in, a smirk on his face. Before Kylo could think of the consequences he again tried to summon the force, only to be met with fire in every nerve of his body. The pain felt endless, surely longer than the first time. Had he been able to focus on anything other than his own screaming and pain, he might have looked over himself expecting to see his body on fire. Finally the pain receded, leaving him near fainting, slumping forward, pulling at the shackles on his wrist.

“I have to say,” Hux said, glee evident in his voice, “I rather like having you chained like the dog you are.”

Kylo mustered all his strength to look up at Hux and glared. “I’ll end you for this.”

Hux raised his eyebrows, hatred now burning in his eyes. “The way you ended Leader Snoke?”

Kylo was so surprised he could only stare at Hux in return. How had he found out? His gaze flickered to Jesmaae.

“Oh no,” Hux said, “It wasn’t one of your precious Knights of Ren.” His voice dripped with contempt. He smirked. “At least not for that betrayal.” Jesmaae shifted uncomfortably behind them. “No,” Hux continued. “I’m afraid it was you who betrayed yourself when you ceased your search for the Resistance.” He held up a hand and Jesmaae stepped forward to put the remote into his waiting grasp. He brought it in front of his face, as if inspecting it. “I merely needed the right sort of information to prove you were a traitor, and your comrade in arms here,” he gestured back towards Jesmaae, “provided exactly what I needed.”

Kylo glared at Jesmaae again, though this time she glared back.

“You betrayed everything we worked for, for some nobody,” she said, venom dripping off her words. “We could have exterminated the Resistance entirely by now and be ruling the galaxy, but instead you had me scour that galaxy for a scavenger.”

Hurt and betrayal tried to fight their way into Kylo’s mind, but it was quickly overpowered by intense anger and hatred. “I’ll make you pay for your betrayal,” he promised.

Hux laughed humorlessly. “That would sound a lot more threatening if you weren’t currently weak, sweating, and in chains.”

“If you’re going to kill me, then do it,” Kylo spat.

“Kill you?” Hux asked amused. “Now why would I do that when I can have so much more fun keeping you alive?”

Before Kylo could respond, Hux pushed a button on the remote, his eyes glittering with glee, and Kylo was once again flooded with the sensation that his entire body was on fire. The pain seemed endless and when his body finally reached its peak, he welcomed the respite that came as he blacked out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading. Comments and Kudos always appreciated. :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Rey sat, staring at nothing for several minutes, her emotions flipping between anger and despair as she mulled over her conversation with Leia. Though she understood, and in fact believed in, keeping her people safe, Rey couldn’t understand Leia’s refusal to help her son.

She sat up suddenly, a thought occurring to her as she replayed their conversation yet again. Leia said they needed information and she knew of Rey’s bond with Kylo. Could she have been hinting at Rey using that bond to gain intel?

Rey took several deep breaths, trying to calm her racing heart so she could concentrate. Closing her eyes she tried sensing the thread she had found the last time, that she had used to end her bond with Kylo. Many moments passed until she finally sensed it, like a fine wisp of thread connecting to her and leading elsewhere. Through the force she gave the thread a tug. The sound around her faded until all she could hear was her own breathing. Then almost as if fading in, she heard the breath of a second person, sounding ragged and shallow.

Opening her eyes she saw Kylo, his hands on either side of his head, as if he was restrained. He appeared to be unconscious. Rey wished she could see his surroundings more clearly. She stepped forward, her heart constricting as she made out what appeared to be several untended blaster wounds. Without realizing she was doing it she crossed to him and knelt down. Swallowing, she reached out a hand slowly to brush back his hair, frightened of what she might find. Why was he unconscious? As her skin made contact with his, suddenly her own surroundings seemed to disappear and his appeared around her. This was new. Her guess that he was shackled proved correct. Her hand still on his cheek, she looked around carefully. He appeared to be in a cell of some sort, small, barely large enough for him to stretch out fully had he been allowed to lie down.

Beneath her hand Kylo’s jaw began working. Her head snapped forward and she dropped her hand, his surroundings fading away as she did so. Groggily he raised his head, wincing. He stared at her, confused, for several moments. She returned his gaze, thoughts racing with questions. He blinked slowly once.

“Are you really here?” he rasped.

Rey pressed her lips together to hide the ache she felt at seeing him so hurt. She nodded first and then shook her head.

“I’m here through our bond,” she finally replied.

“Why?” he asked sharply.

Rey winced at his bitter tone. “I felt your pain,” she explained softly. “I…I wanted to make sure you were ok.” She frowned. “What happened?”

Kylo looked away from her then and when he replied, she sensed his anger and frustration. “Hux. He knows I killed Snoke and that I was looking for you. I was ambushed when I returned to the ship.”

She frowned. “How did he find out?”

His eyes returned to hers then, blazing anger evident in them, “One of my own Knights betrayed me.”

She glanced at his hands. “Can’t you…Are you not able to use the force?”

He didn’t answer for several moments and Rey sensed the war within him. Her frown deepened as she sensed anger, betrayal, and embarrassment all fighting for dominance.

“Ben?”

Kylo swallow then, eyes averted as he finally said “Every time I try, this _collar,_ ” he spat the word, “electrocutes me.”

Rey’s heart broke for him. “Ben.” She started to reach for him, but he flinched away.

“Don’t!” He glared at her. “I don’t want your pity.”

Rey shook her head, “That’s not – “

“Don’t try to lie,” he spat. “I can sense your emotions easily.” He looked away. “Just go.”

Rey shook her head again. “No. Ben. Tell me where you are. If I have enough information, we can come rescue you.”

Kylo’s eyes snapped back to her, but when he spoke, she was surprised at the self-loathing in his speech. “And do what? You think the resistance will just take me in? That I’ll join you, all forgiven, in taking down the First Order?” He looked away again. “You’re a fool if you think it.”

His words ignited her anger. “I’m the fool?” She stood up, paced a few steps and then turned back around. “I’m not the one who stubbornly refused to give up power. If you had just tried to help the Resistance when you had the chance instead of becoming leader of the First Order and trying to erase them all then you wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place.”

Kylo said nothing.

She shook her head. “Fine. Have it your way.” Finding the thread easily this time, Rey snapped it. The last thing she saw on Kylo’s face before he winked out of view was relief.

* * *

Rey sat alone in her room, staring down at the broken lightsaber in her hands when there was a knock at the door and Finn strode in.

“Rey.” He walked over and sat down next to her. He opened his mouth to speak, but Rey, still looking at the broken saber, cut him off.

“I have a bond with him.”

Finn’s mouth opened and closed several times before he responded. “What does that even mean?”

Rey sighed at sat back, closing her eyes. “It means…” She shook her head, opening her eyes to look at him. “It means that sometimes he appears in front of me – we appear in front of each other, and that I can sense his…emotions.”

Finn brows flew up in shock. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” he muttered. “You can sense his emotions?”

“I know how it sounds,” Rey said, her tone pleading for him to understand, “but he’s not what you think. I’ve sensed the conflict in him. I –“ She cut off abruptly, swallowing.

“You what?” Finn prodded, frowning in confusion.

A crease appeared between Rey’s brows as she responded. “I saw his future. Before I went to him on Snoke’s ship. He’s the one who killed Snoke.”

Finn’s eyebrows rose higher, but he said nothing as Rey continued. “I know if he can be turned then the war can be finished.”

Finn shook his head, opening his mouth to speak, but Rey cut him off. “I know! I know how it sounds, like the silly fantasies of a little girl.” She leaned forward, gripping the saber parts so tightly her knuckles whitened. “But Ben Solo still exists in him. I’ve felt it. I’ve _seen_ it.”

Finn regarded her for a moment and then nodded his head. “Then what are we doing?”

Rey leaned back, shocked. “You believe me?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know that I believe Kylo Ren can be changed, but if I’ve learned anything these past months it’s that someone can change if they really want to.” She sensed that he was talking about himself. “And if you believe you can change him, then for the good of the galaxy it’s worth a shot.” He patted her shoulder. “So what are we doing?”

Rey sighed. “Right now? Nothing.”

Finn frowned. “Nothing? What do you mean nothing?”

Rey shrugged one shoulder. “I’ve already talked to Leia and she said we don’t have the resources we need.” She leaned back against the couch. “And she’s right. We only have a couple dozen people and no one left willing to help us.”

Finn shook his head. “No. There’s got to be something we could do. Rose and I snuck onboard Snoke’s ship. You don’t need an army.”

Rey regarded her friend. The first and best friend she’s ever had. “But do you think anyone will agree to help us?”

Finn put a hand on her shoulder. “You leave that to me.” He pointed at the broken saber. “How close are you to making another one?”

Rey looked at the parts and then him. “I’ve translated everything. I just need to start working on it.”

“Then start working on it.” He got up and walked out.

“Finn!” Rey yelled after him. He stopped and looked back. “Where are you going?”

Looking over his shoulder her replied, “To develop a plan.”

* * *

Kylo’s head snapped up as the door to his cell opened. Hux waltzed in, a smile on his face, with Jesmaae trailing behind him. Kylo burst forward, his shoulders burning with the effort to get at the man. On instinct he opened his hands in an attempt to use the force and was met with almost instantaneous pain, coursing once more through his every nerve ending.

When the pain receded his head fell forward, sweat dripping of his brow as he tried to catch his breath.

“Smart as ever,” Hux said, clearly amused.

Kylo forced his head up, glaring at the man. He should have disposed of him when he had the chance. His eyes traveled to his traitor, who returned his gaze evenly.

Speaking to her he asked, “What of the rest of my Knights?”

Hux answered before she could, clearly delighting in the situation. “Ah yes, the noble Knights of Ren.” He laughed and folded his hands behind his back. “You’ll be happy to hear that only Knight Krye here had any sense. They are currently locked up in various stages of torture as we speak.”

Kylo’s hands fisted and he again pulled at his restraints. “You’ll pay for this General.”

“Ah.” Hux’s grin grew. “I believe you have your facts wrong. You see, I am not a general of the First Order anymore. Please refer to me as Supreme Leader from this point forward.”

Kylo bared his teeth at the pair of them. Hux merely lifted a hand and snapped. The door opened and several storm troopers entered, carrying a table covered in a variety of tools. Kylo’s heart rate sped up as he considered the instruments and what Hux surely had planned for him. He looked at Jesmaae and found her looking at the table, her face paler than usual.

Hux walked over to the table picking up various instruments, regarding them, and setting them back down. “It has come to my attention that you know the whereabouts of the Resistance.” Selecting a sharp, serrated knife he walked over to Jesmaae, who looked at him in alarm. Holding out the tool Hux looked back at Kylo. “I believe I’ll let your former Knight here do the honors.” Jesmaae looked between Hux, the knife, and Kylo before slowly reaching out to grasp it, walking over to stand before him.

“Now then,” Hux said, “let’s get started.”

* * *

Rey felt a ripple of dread and panic hit her, sending her heart racing. Putting a hand over her chest she wondered why the bond seemed to be growing in strength, sending her Kylo’s feelings.

Barely had she had the thought when the shadow of pain rippled through her, taking her breath away and forcing her to cry out. Poe, Chewbacca, Finn, and BB8 all raced over to her table.

“Rey?” Poe asked, worry on his face. “What is it? What happened?”

BB8 beeped frantically at her.

Rey rubbed a spot above her heart, trying to catch her breath. “It’s nothing.”

“hnnnhrrhhh aarrragghuuhw aaaaahnr raaaaaahhgh huurh,” Chewie responded.

Rey looked at Finn, widening her eyes slightly trying to convey what was happening. Finn nodded slightly in understanding and walked over to her side.

“I’ll take her to her room, make sure nothing’s wrong,” he said to the others, putting a hand on her elbow. Rey gathered all the light saber parts scattered around the table, holding her breath to avoid crying out again as another phantom pain hit her.

When they reached the room and the door closed Rey dropped the saber parts on the table and fell into one of the chairs, breathing heavily and rubbing again at a spot above her heart.

Finn walked over and sat next to her. “Is it him again?”

Rey nodded, feeling panicked, but unsure if it was her own or Kylo’s.

“What can we do?” Finn asked, clearly hoping for a way to help her.

She shook her head. “I don’t understand how it works. I’m not sure what I can do other than feel it.”

Finn frowned. “Do you feel what’s happening to him?”

Rey frowned as well, trying to think of how to describe it. “Not exactly. I can’t tell what’s being done, and really I feel the emotions more than anything. It’s like…I can tell where they’re hurting him, but it’s not quite a physical pain.” She looked up. “Does that make sense?”

Finn looked at her, confused. “Not really.”

She looked around, wincing as more pain filtered down to her, trying to figure out how to make Finn understand something she barely understood herself. “Have you ever hit your knee and even after the initial pain is gone there’s still an ache?” He nodded. “It’s more like that. I…I think I only feel a degree of what’s happening.” The thought of what Kylo must be enduring had her swallowing down more panic.

She looked at Finn again. “It’s like the bond - link, connection, whatever it is - is getting stronger. When we fought the guards in Snoke’s throne room I didn’t feel anything. And all these months afterward it was like I could almost forget that the bond existed.” Almost, but not entirely. “And now?” She shook her head. “I don’t know what to do.”

Finn frowned at her, clearing absorbing the information she had just fed him. Suddenly, he perked up. “Wait. The connection goes both ways right?”

A wrinkle appeared between’s Rey’s brows. “Yes.”

“Then couldn’t you send something his way?...Or go visit him and find out what’s happening?”

Abruptly the phantom pains ceased. Rey sat up straight, eyes widening in alarm at the implication. Her eyes darted around, seeing nothing in her panic to figure out what was happening to him. Surely if something truly awful had happened she’d be able to sense the connection breaking, wouldn’t she?

“What is it?” Finn asked. “What’s wrong?”

“The pain,” she replied, almost to herself. “It’s stopped.” She looked up at him, swallowing. “I can’t feel anything.”

Finn looked at her with sympathy. “Well…that’s a good thing right?”

Rey glanced around, her eyes finally stopping on the saber parts on the table. “I’ve got to finish making this so we can figure out a plan for getting him out of there and stopping the First Order.” She looked at Finn. “And you’ve got to make sure we have enough people to help us.”

Finn nodded, getting up. “I’ll talk to Rose and Poe and see what we can figure out.”

Rey looked up sharply. “Are you going to tell them everything?”

Finn looked down at her. “Do you think keeping secrets is the best thing to do right now?”

She gave him a pleading look. “I promise we’ll tell them, but please for now just keep the bond between us.”

He considered her a moment before nodding his head sharply once.

“Thank you,” she breathed. The corners of her lips turned up. “You’re a good friend.”

He smiled back at her and left.

* * *

Many hours later, long after everyone had retired to their quarters, Rey worked on her light saber. Despite the instructions, it wasn’t easy work and she was becoming frustrated. She was alone in the common area, having returned there when Leia decided to go to sleep. She rubbed her eyes, exhaustion clawing at her.

“Looks like you’re having some trouble there.”

Rey’s head snapped up to see Luke standing before her, outlined in blue and vaguely transparent.

“Need help?” he asked, pointing to her saber.

“Luke,” she said, merely blinking at him. “What…How are you here?”

He walked over to sit next to her. “Oh, I have my ways. As my master told me, death is just a way of transforming into the force.”

“You’re the force?” Rey asked, confused.

Luke shook his head. “No. I’m me. But this is a conversation for another time. What are you trying to do there?”

Rey looked down at her progress. “We haven’t stopped anywhere where I could locate another kyber crystal, and the one from the other saber is split down the middle. I know how to fight with a staff best, so I thought I might try to create a staff-like saber with each half.” She looked down at her work. “But I can’t figure out how to do it.” She gestured towards the book. “This book doesn’t exactly have a step by step instruction.”

Luke leaned over her work to examine it. “That’s an ambitious plan.” He looked over at her and she discerned he wasn’t talking only about her saber plans.

“I can’t leave him to be tortured,” she said softly.

He sat back, considering her. “You were right. I gave up too quickly on him, at the academy.”

Rey recoiled in shock, her eyebrows reaching towards her hairline. “This is a change.”

Luke shrugged. “Death will do that to you.” He nodded towards her half finished light saber. “Now. Let’s get this thing built so you can go rescue my wayward nephew.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks for reading! Please let me know if you're enjoying the story. :) 
> 
> For those interested, Chewbacca said "It doesn't look like nothing."


	6. Chapter 6

# Chapter 6

Kylo slowly came back from the dark, though the pain that greeted him made him wish he could return to it. He breathed shallowly, slowly opening his eyes to survey the damage. Surprisingly his various wounds all looked shallow and already in various stages of healing. Why would Hux take the time to heal him…unless? Kylo closed his eyes and exhaled. Of course. Hux wants to make sure Kylo is alive for a long time.

Despair began to grip him. Without his ability to use the force what could he do? He squeezed his eyes tighter as he realized there was nothing he could do. He was stuck in a coffin of his own making. He should have left with Rey when he had the chance.

His despair deepened as he thought of their last encounter and how he had pushed her away. He supposed now he could add her to the long list of people in his life that he had disappointed. Despite his every attempt he could never seem to please anyone. His parents had shipped him off, his uncle had tried to kill him, even Snoke had never been satisfied with his efforts.

When the door opened, Kylo didn’t even bother looking up, sinking even further into despair at his situation. This was to be his life now. Endless torture. He thought himself a fool for ever daring to believe he could escape it. Torture had been his friend in one manner or another for as long as he could remember. He thought of the whispered conversations his parents thought he hadn’t heard. He thought of his mother’s face as he left her for Skywalker’s temple, of the look of relief that had passed over it. He thought of waking to find his uncle standing over him with an ignited lightsaber. This time however he felt no anger at the memory, only a sense of inevitability. He thought of his father, the look of shock on his face when Kylo had ignited his saber, and despite a feeble attempt not to, he thought of the forgiveness in his father’s face just before he fell. Kylo retreated so far into his head that his own screams sounded as if they were coming from another room.

Through his haze of despair an image of Rey reaching her hand towards him from her little hut entered his mind. He felt sorrow as he thought of it now, but no…not just sorrow. Hope. Another image entered his mind. Rey looking up at him in the elevator, saying she would help him. Despite his every effort not to, he felt the first stirrings of hope.

As if from a distance he heard someone requesting a light saber. It wasn’t until he saw a flash of red that he came out of his head long enough to see his own light saber in Jesmaae’s hand, slashing towards him.

* * *

Rey fell forward, exhausted.

“Well?” Finn asked. “Did it work?”

Before she could answer, her vision darkened as pain flashed through her eyes. She gasped, terrified. Just as quickly her vision cleared, leaving her wondering what had happened to Kylo.

A hand shaking her shoulder brought her back to the present. Swallowing, she inhaled slowly. “I’m fine. Yes, I think it worked. I could feel the change in his feelings.”

“What happened, just now?” Finn asked, frowning at her.

She shook her head slowly. “I’m not sure. My vision darkened for a moment.” Dread filled her. She wanted to visit him again, to make sure he was alright, though she supposed she already knew that answer. Impatience at her inability to go immediately to rescue him clawed at her, making her pace in the room, running her hands through her hair.

“Have you had any luck talking to the others?” she asked.

Finn sighed and Rey closed her eyes in frustration. “It’s not that they don’t want to take down the First Order…”

“It’s that they don’t want to bet the survival of all that’s left on the rescue of Kylo Ren,” she finished for him.

Finn nodded, concern on his face. “Right.”

Rey flopped down on a chair. “Why is this so difficult?” She put her head in her hand. “When I left Jakku, when I joined the Resistance, all those years I spent wanting family while also eating up stories of the Jedi and wanting to experience it myself, all those times…I never realized how difficult it is to be a hero.” She said the last word despairingly. She knew people viewed her as a hero of the Resistance, but she didn’t feel like one. At times she felt more like a failure. She failed to bring Luke Skywalker back. She failed to bring Ben Solo back. And now she was failing to rally people to help her take down the First Order. How did Leia continue on, day after day, year after year? She had lost more than any of them. Ben Solo is all she has left, and she’s not even guaranteed to have him back; in fact she is actively working towards taking down the empire he’s currently running. How did Leia have the strength to do what needs to be done?

“Hey,” Finn said, breaking her train of thought. “We’ll get them around alright? We’re just having a hard time convincing them that a couple dozen people could take down the First Order alone.

“Alone…” Rey said the word quietly to herself, thoughts racing, an idea hatching.

“Rey?” Finn asked.

Rey looked up at him, eyes alight. “What if we could convince people to help Leia?”

Finn shook his head, confused. “I thought that’s what we’ve been trying to do since Crait.”

Rey nodded. “Yes, but they don’t know what we have here. All they know is that Leia’s Resistance is down to a few dozen people.”

Finn frowned. “And what exactly do we have here?”

Rey smiled. “Leia Organa, one of the heroes who took down the Empire. Poe Dameron, best pilot in the galaxy. Chewbacca, fighter from not just one, not two, but 3 wars now; one of the mighty Wookie warriors. Finn, former storm trooper with friends on the inside…And me, the last of the Jedi.” Her eyes were sparkling by the end, hope alight. “We can do this. We _can_ convince people. We just need to remind them of what we have.”

* * *

Rey, nervous flutters in her stomach, bowed to the Queen before her, Finn following suit beside her.

“Thank you for agreeing to see us, Your Majesty.”

The Queen of Naboo nodded at them and they rose. “Why have you called for this audience, Rey of Jakku?”

Rey swallowed, reminding herself of the reasons she came. “I’ve come, on behalf of Leia and the Resistance, to ask for your help in defeating the First Order.”

The queen regarded her for several seconds, advisors whispering in her ears. “I believe I already told General Organa that the only help I could provide would be a safe haven to hide. The First Order has proven that it is willing to end those who oppose it. I cannot put the safety of my people at risk.”

Rey opened her mouth to respond, but before she could Finn stepped forward. “I get it. We’re asking you to make a decision that could get this planet blown up, or at the very least this city wiped off the map. It’s a huge risk, but we can win.” He glanced over at Rey, who nodded at him. “I used to be a member of the First Order. I used to be a Storm Trooper. I…” He cleared his throat. “I have friends there. I’m positive I could get them to help us.” He took one step forward, holding his hands out. “Please, at least consider it.”

The queen did not respond, but her advisors both whispered in her ears. Eventually she held up a hand and they fell back. “I can make you no promises, but I will consider it.”

Both Finn and Rey let out a breath. “Thank you, Your Majesty,” Rey said, bowing.

“I know how to contact you,” the queen said. “You may go.”

After bowing, both Rey and Finn were escorted back out. As they reached the door, Rey turned around and took a hesitant step forward. “It’s Padmé Amidala’s grandson that we’re trying to save, as much as any of us. He…He’s been lost to the First Order, but I’m sure we – I’m sure I – can bring him back to his mother…I just thought you should know.” With that she bowed her head again and walked out.

* * *

“You did what?”

Leia looked between Rey and Finn, shock and the beginnings of anger on her face.

“It was my idea,” Rey said. She gave Leia a pleading look. “I’ve seen Ben. He’s being held prisoner and…” she gulped, wondering if she should continue. “And he’s being tortured.”

All other expression on Leia’s face changed to dismay and she fell down onto a chair.

“We have to save him,” Rey continued, sitting down next to her.  “And this might be how we do it. If we can convince Naboo to help us, maybe others will too.” She put a hand on Leia’s arm. “I had to try.”

Leia rested her forehead on a shaky hand, not responding for several moments. When she looked up she asked, “What did the queen say?”

Rey sighed. “She said she’d consider it. Honestly I’m not sure which way she’s leaning. She had two councilors in her ear who I don’t think want her to help.”

Leia sighed as well. “I can’t blame her. When you’re responsible for people you have to consider their needs first.” She looked around at the people milling about. “I’m beginning to think I’m too old for this.”

“The Resistance needs you,” Finn replied, stepping forward. “You’re Leia Organa. If anyone can inspire hope in the galaxy it’s you.”

Leia gave him a wan smile. “Thank you, Finn.”

He cleared his throat, looking suddenly self conscious. “I think I’m going to go talk to Poe about a few things.”

Leia nodded and he walked off. Rey turned back to Leia, a question hovering in her mind, wondering if she should ask it or not. Taking a deep breath, she decided to be brave.

“How have you done it all?” Rey asked. “How have you lost all you’ve lost and yet not lost your hope?”

Leia considered Rey before answering. “The short answer is I don’t always have that hope. There are times,” she closed her eyes and swallowed, “when I’ve truly wondered how I could go on. I still hope for my son, but…” She looked at Rey again. “But I have also realized that I may never get him back.” She put a hand over Rey’s. “However, if I’ve learned anything these past nearly 40 years, it’s that a leader doesn’t have the luxury of falling apart. So I square my shoulders and I go on.” She shrugged.

Rey looked between her eyes. “We’ll get him back,” she promised. “I’m not going to rest until Ben Solo returns and the galaxy is free again.” She swallowed and hesitantly continued. “I…I saw Luke.”

Shock registered on Leia’s face. Rey continued, pulling her new saber off her belt. “He helped me finish this.”

Leia looked between the saber and Rey, who kept talking. “Luke has hope for Ben. He helped me so that I could save your son. If Luke has hope, you should have hope.” She put both hands over Leia’s. “We will get him back, I know it.”

Leia swallowed thickly, tears lining her eyes. “Thank you, Rey.”

Rey nodded once and then got up to join Finn, leaving Leia to her thoughts.

* * *

Kylo came to suddenly, gasping in a breath and immediately feeling the aches and pains in his body respond to the movement. He was disoriented at first, wondering why his cell was finally dark, before remembering what had happened. He moved his eyelids, painful though it was, trying to open them. When he finally managed to open them a crack he was still greeted with darkness. He swallowed thickly as panic gripped him.

Sensing a presence in the room he snapped his head up, demanding “Who’s there?”

“I didn’t plan this, you know,” said a voice to his left. He looked over, trying in vain to see her.

“Jesmaae,” he said, attempting to hide his despair, knowing full well she could sense easily sense it.

He heard her take a step in his direction. “I didn’t know what Hux would do,” she said.

He scoffed, curling his lip. “What did you think would happen? That he’d keep me locked in my room? Locked in here with three meals a day and comfortable bed to sleep in? Get away from me.”

“Kylo-“

“GET OUT!” he bellowed, immediately hissing at the pain it caused him. When he heard no movement he said again, voice hollow, “Just go. I don’t want your pity and I won’t grant you forgiveness. You did this to me.”

He sensed her inner turmoil but that only served to anger him further. When he still heard no movement he lunged forward, shoulders on fire as they strained against his restraints. “I never want to sense you again,” he hissed. “Go away and forget about earning my pity or forgiveness because you will _never_ get it.”

At last he heard the door open and sensed her leaving. When the door closed he fell back, breathing in quick shallow breaths against the pain his outburst had caused him. Though he tried not to, he thought of Jesmaae and her betrayal. He had sensed her regret and helplessness, but thoughts of the rest of his Knights enduring the same torture he did strengthened his resolve to hate her. He didn’t care what her reasons for betrayal were. She had turned her back on him and the rest of her comrades.

Out of habit he tried opening his eyes and again was greeted with endless darkness. He swallowed thickly, panic rising at his sudden blindness. He tried not to think of the sight of his own saber slashing towards his eyes, but couldn’t stop the image from looping through his mind. The last thing he will have ever seen is the sight of his own saber being used to take his sight away from him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading. I'd love to know what you think. Kudos and reviews always appreciated. :)


	7. Chapter 7

# Chapter 7

“What you’re asking us to do is suicide.” Poe looked between Rey and Finn.

“I know it looks that way,” Rey started, holding up a hand when Poe opened his mouth to interject. “But we don’t need an army to take down the First Order. We just need to get rid of Hux.”

“Oh is that all?” Poe asked sarcastically.

“Look,” said Finn, “I had friends when I was in the First Order. I think I could turn them?”

Poe raised his eyebrows. “Is that a question? If that’s true, then why haven’t you tried that before? You were on the Supremacy.”

Finn shook his head. “There wasn’t time. Look. I know we’re asking for a lot of faith, but our mission, the mission of the Resistance, is to take down the First Order and all we’ve done so far is run and hide.”

Poe looked like he was about to take offence when Rey cut him off. “The First Order is here and they’re not giving up. They haven’t left Naboo airspace since they arrived. The Queen has had to deal with First Order questioning daily on our whereabouts. There are patrols scouring the planet looking for us. We can’t just sit here and do nothing. Hux knows we’re here.”

Poe looked thoughtful for a moment, looking between them again. “Why are you trying to convince me? Why not talk to Leia?”

Rey hesitated before answering. “Leia…Leia is unwilling to do anything that might endanger what is left of the Resistance because our mission would include saving her son.”

Poe nodded, putting a hand over his mouth and pacing away a couple of steps. “You said Hux.” He turned to look at Rey.

“What?” Rey asked, confused.

He gestured towards her. “Just now. You said Hux knows we’re here. And you said our mission is to save her son.” He took a step towards her, lowering his voice. “We both know that Kylo Ren in Ben Solo and that _he_ is the one leading the First Order. What aren’t you telling me?”

Rey looked at Finn, who shrugged. “You’ve got to come clean sometime if we’re really going to do this,” he said.

Rey nodded, huffing out a breath, squaring her shoulders, and clearing her throat. “I have a…connection with Ben Solo.”

Poe shook his head, confused. “A connection? What do you mean you have a connection?”

“Through the force,” Rey answered. “The force connects us. We can see each other, talk to each other.”

Poe frowned. “How long has this been going on?”

Rey looked away. “Since I was on the island with Luke.”

Poe raised his eyebrows again. “And you’re only saying something now?” Anger seeped into his voice. “Is this how he found us?”

Rey shook her head vigorously. “No. I’ve been careful. We can’t see each other’s surroundings.” Unless they were touching, she didn’t add. “And it’s only recently opened back up. I thought I shut it off after Crait, but it reignited again when we got to Naboo. He…He was just tracking us. I promise.” Rey lowered her voice. “Hux has him imprisoned for coming to find me behind his back. Hux has taken over leading the First Order and he has Ben-

“Kylo Ren,” Poe interrupted.

Rey blinked at him. “What?”

“Hux has Kylo Ren. That man, that person he is now, is not Ben Solo.”

Rey placed a hand on Poe’s arm. “I know what he’s done. I’m not blind. But he’s not the same man he was months ago, when he tortured you. _He_ is the one who killed Snoke, not me or anyone else. Ben Solo still exists within him. And we have to save him.”

Poe shook his head again, but Rey cut him off. “Hux is torturing him. If you won’t do it for him, then please do it for Leia. She may not be willing to risk the safety of her people for her own personal gain, but he is all the family she has left. She’s lost nearly everything, every friend and family member she has. Ben is all that’s left. We _have_ to try.”

Poe regarded her for a long moment, before nodding once. “Alright. Tell me this plan of yours.”

* * *

Days and nights blurred together for Kylo. Since taking his sight, Hux had not returned, though he had sent med droids to patch up the various wounds covering Kylo’s body, including the damage to his eyes. His sight was not returned, but he was at least able to move his eyelids now. With nothing but darkness as his companion he had plenty of time to contemplate his situation, to run through every wrong move he had made. He second guessed his decision to make Jesmaae his third in command, having obviously miscalculated her loyalty. He second guessed himself for having missed the signs of her disloyal attitude. He wondered how the rest of his team was fairing, guilt and anger both warring within him at his role in their imprisonment.

He was unsure how much time had passed since he lost his sight, having nothing by which to measure it. Occasionally, at seemingly random times, he would feel a sudden burst of hope, though the feeling usually faded as quickly as it appeared. He suspected this was Rey’s doing, though he had no idea why she would do it. The last thing he had said to her was that she was a fool, when in truth it was he who was the fool. He had time and again put his trust in the wrong people and had paid the price for it every time. It was as he was contemplating this very thing that he felt the thread within him tug. He kept his head down at first, not wanting to sense her pity once she realized he was blind.

He heard an intake of breath and then a whispered, “Ben.”

He looked up at his name, a reflex from before he had lost his sight, and let out a shaky breath of shock when he saw Rey standing before him. He saw her eyes widen as she took in his features, no doubt realizing what had been done to him, but he only stared at her, drinking in the sight of her. He only saw her. Everything else was still black around her, but she was in sharp detail.

“I can see you,” he breathed, talking more to himself than her.

A wrinkle appeared between her brows. She took a hesitant step closer. “You…are you – can you see?”

He didn’t answer for a moment, his breath rate increasing as the shock that he could see Rey rolled over him. It wasn’t until she said his name again that he snapped out of it, shaking his head.

“No,” he said, shock still coloring his voice. “I can’t see.” He looked in her eyes. “But I can see you.”

Rey swallowed and walked the rest of the way to him, kneeling in front of him. He tracked her movement, happy to see anything at all. She reached a hand out towards him before catching herself and pulling it back.

“What happened?” she asked quietly.

He glanced away from her. “My Knight, Jesmaae, used my saber on my eyes.”

“I felt it,” Rey said, reaching her fingers up to her own eyes. “My vision blacked out for a moment and I felt it.” She dropped her hand. “Ben I’m so sorry – “

“Why are you here?” He asked, interrupting her, not wishing to hear her pity.

She shook her head. “I didn’t do this. I felt a shift in the force and you appeared before me, like always.”

So she hadn’t come of her own free will. This news caused his heart to plummet.

“Wait,” she said, “You said you can see me.”

Looking at her, he nodded slowly.

“But…”Rey looked around. “Can you see anything else?”

He shook his head. “No. Just you.” The phrase echoed in his head, reminding him of the first time the force had connected them.

“How is that possible?” Rey asked, her gaze roving over him, no doubt cataloguing his various new injuries.

He shook his head. “I don’t know.”

They looked at one another for several moments, neither saying a word. Kylo swallowed thickly, wanting to ask questions but after the way he brushed her aside the last time they spoke, he wasn’t sure she would answer him. Rey started to reach a hand out to him again, but stopped short, pulling it back, as if unsure whether she could touch him.

He tracked the movement before blurting, “How long has it been?” He raised his eyes to her face. “Since you were here last? With my…” He sighed. “Without my vision I don’t know how much time has passed.”

Rey swallowed. “Less than a week.”

Kylo’s head fell forward. Less than a week. The longest week he had endured. His spirit withered with the thought that so little time had passed.

“I want to try something,” Rey said, reaching out her hand again.

Lost in his own thoughts he didn’t at first register that Rey spoke, his head snapping up when she laid a hand on his arm. He gasped as the world around him changed from black to what must surely be Rey’s surroundings.

“How is this possible?” he rasped, gazing at the furnished room.

“Can you see my surroundings?” Rey asked.

Overcome, his breath coming in short bursts, he nodded. Rey looked around the room as well.

“I can see yours as well,” she said, before looking back at him. “I don’t know why, or how it works, but it happened the last time I came. Before you woke up, I touched you and your surroundings faded in. When I let go they disappeared.” She looked thoughtful for a moment as Kylo continued to look around, his mind own mind racing.

“It’s the connection,” he said suddenly, snapping his eyes back towards her at the realization. “The reason I can see you is because it’s through the force. I don’t use my eyes to see you when we’re connected.” He looked around again. “It’s why we can see each other’s surroundings when we touch.”

Rey frowned. “How do you know this?”

Kylo shook his head. “It’s the only thing that makes sense. For some reason the connection is getting stronger.” He sensed alarm as she yanked her hand back, her surroundings winking out around him as she did so.

“But why?” she asked. “I thought Snoke was the one who connected us. Why would the connection still exist if that were true? Why would it be getting stronger?” Before he could answer she continued. “But no. That doesn’t make sense. If Snoke was the one who connected us then the connection would have died when he did right? So this has to be something else.”

Kylo frowned. What she said made sense. Why hadn’t he thought of it before? He felt the familiar sensation of hurt and betrayal as he though to Snoke and tried to force it away. Of course. It was yet another in a long string of manipulations his former master had used on him. And he had been fool enough to never question it. The acrid taste of bitterness filled his mouth at the thought.

He thought back to his initial thoughts on their connection. “The force is doing this,” he said aloud, hardly realizing he was speaking.

Rey frowned. “The force? Can it do that? I thought it was the thing that binds all living things, not…not a sentient being.”

Kylo thought for a moment, to the teachings he had received, to the books he had read. When at Skywalker’s academy he had devoured any and all information available to him regarding the force. Admittedly there hadn’t been much, not in comparison to the days before the Empire, when there had been such vast stores of knowledge that it would have been nearly impossible for any being to learn it all. But there had been some knowledge to be gained. And during his time with Snoke he had conducted as much research as he could on the grandfather his family had hidden from him. The curious thing had been that no one knew who had Anakin’s father had been, his mother having been a slave. There had been rumors of the force creating him back in the days when Anakin was a war hero, but very few people gave credence to such rumors, not once Vader had terrorized the galaxy. But if such a thing were possible…

“The force isn’t just the thing that binds things,” he said. “It’s an energy. And in all my research there was never anyone who claimed to know all of its secrets. Back in the days before the Jedi ruled there were bonds created by the Sith who craved power. They could harness the power and knowledge of the other person across vast distances.” He looked back at Rey. “When Snoke admitted to bridging our minds, I thought that explained the connection. But either what he created could not be broken simply by his death or he was lying and it was created another way.”

 “That day,” Rey said suddenly. He looked at her, confused. “When you used the force to read my mind, when I was your prisoner. I pushed you out and went into your mind instead. What if that was when it was created?”

_Bested by a girl who had barely held a lightsaber!_ The words of his former master echoed in his head and he frowned. He had been wounded, both physically and emotionally after he killed his father when he had lost to Rey, but maybe there had been more to it than that.

“Ok,” he replied. “But that doesn’t explain why the connection is getting stronger.”

Rey shook her head. “I don’t know either, but I think we can use this to our advantage.”

She reached out to touch him again, looking presumably at his surroundings. “We’ve got a plan to get you out.”

He stared at her in shock. “What do you mean ‘get me out’?”

She looked back at him. “The First Order knows we’re here and they’re not leaving until they get us. So that leaves two options. Either we sit around waiting and hoping they’ll leave, or we attack first.”

Kylo shook his head. “You’re what? A couple dozen people? There’s no plan you have that won’t end in disaster. And why waste any time trying to free me? I told you already that I don’t want to go back. I can’t go back.”

Rey shook her head back at him. “I don’t care what you want. You’re Leia’s last surviving relative. You’re her _son_. We can’t just leave you there to die.”

He looked away, trying furiously to tamp down his feelings regarding his mother. “So you’ll rescue me, likely losing more people along the way, so the Resistance leaders can kill me instead?”

“One problem at a time,” Rey replied. Snatching her hand off his arm, she looked behind her shoulder. “I have to go,” she said turning back around. Her gaze burned into his as she departed with a simple, “Have hope. We’re coming for you.” And then he was left once more with darkness for his only companion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! Apologies for the long wait. It's been...a long month. Lots of stuff going on to prevent me from writing. But hopefully life will get back to normal soon so I can write more often. Reviews and kudos are always appreciated. Thanks!


	8. Chapter 8

# Chapter 8 

“Leia?” Rey cleared her throat as she approached the strategy meeting.

Leia looked over at her, bemused by the interruption. “What can I do for you, Rey?”

Rey glanced quickly at Poe, who shook his head slightly, then back at Leia. “There’s a matter I need to discuss with you.” Rey looked again at Poe who widened his eyes and subtly shook his head again. “It’s important.”

Leia looked between them, then back at Rey. “Alright.” She turned to the rest of the team. “Would you please excuse me?”

As the rest of the team vacated the room, Leia gestured towards one of the chairs. “Please sit down.”

Rey sat, putting her new saber on the table and trying her best not to fidget. Leia looked at her expectantly, as Rey took a deep breath.

“We have a plan for taking down the First Order and rescuing Ben.” Leia raised her eyebrows and opened her mouth but Rey rushed on. “I know what you’re going to say. That it’s too dangerous. But I heard back from the Queen today and she’s willing to help. The First Order continues to question her daily on our whereabouts so we can’t just sit here. They aren’t going to leave until they have us, so we might as well do something.”

Leia regarded Rey for a moment before, much to Rey’s surprise, she nodded. “Ok then. What’s this plan involve?”

Rey blinked at her, nonplussed. “That’s it?”

Leia shrugged. “You’re right. The First Order isn’t going to leave, so we might as well do something. I was just trying to hatch a plan with the rest of our leaders. So let’s hear this plan of yours.”

Rey sputtered in surprise. “But…you said you wouldn’t risk the rest of us to save Ben.”

Leia sighed. “And that’s still true. I love my son, and I desperately want him back, but as much as I would like to, I am unwilling to trade his life for those of the entire resistance. It would be selfish, the cost too high, no matter my feelings. But you’re right. We have to do something about the First Order.”

Rey considered Leia a moment. “If we do this, if we get Ben back, what happens to him?”

Leia sighed heavily and then shrugged. “I don’t know. I will do my best to ensure his safety, but it’s out of my hands.”

Rey shook her head. “How can it be out of your hands?”

Leia looked at Rey, amusement shining through the sadness. “I’m not empress of the galaxy, nor do I wish to be. If we defeat the First Order, then we will again try to rebuild a republic. I hope to be involved in that, but it would be up to them to decide what to do with Ben.” She put a hand over Rey’s. “I will do everything in my power to save him, but I can’t guarantee his safety, as much as I want to. I’ve wanted nothing more than to shield my son from the darkness from the first moment I felt it warring for him. I did what I thought was best for my son and it ended in disaster. I can only do so much.” She let go of Rey’s hand and looked down. “I was so certain of the good left in him that I sent Han to his death.”

Rey shook her head vigorously. “That wasn’t your fault. Ben was blinded by Snoke. It doesn’t excuse what he did, but he’s freed himself from Snoke’s grasp.” She put her hand over Leia’s. “I believe there is good in Ben Solo still. He just needs us to believe in him…He needs _you_ to believe in him.”

An idea sparked in Rey’s mind and she squeezed Leia’s hand. “Would you…would you like to see him again?”

Leia looked up sharply, hope and panic in her eyes. “Through your connection?”

Rey swallowed. “Yes…You should know, he’s been injured. Hux has been torturing him. He…he blinded him, but he can see us – or at least me - through the bond.”

Leia pressed her lips together and nodded, swallowing thickly. “I understand.”

Rey gave her a long look, hoping this was a good idea, before she closed her eyes and searched for the thread that connected her to Kylo. She found it easily this time, immediately tugging on it. When she opened her eyes, Kylo was before her, still obviously chained. She heard both of them inhale sharply.

“Ben,” Rey started, glancing at Leia, before looking back at him. “Can you see her?”

Kylo quickly glanced at Leia and then back at Rey, nodding as his adam’s apple bobbed.

Rey looked over at Leia who sat frozen with her hand over her mouth, her eyes shining. Wanting to allow them a moment to themselves, Rey backed away and sat down at the far end of the room.

* * *

Kylo’s heart was racing as his emotions threatened to overwhelm him. He glanced down, ashamed to be found chained and maimed.

“Hello…Leia,” he rasped.

There was a moment of silence before she replied. “Mother.”

Kylo looked up at her tone. “What?”

He watched her take a deep breath, removing the hand that had been covering her mouth and putting it over her heart. “Call me Mother,” she clarified.

He regarded her a moment, bitterness seeping into his heart. “Are you though?” When she gave him a confused look he added, “My mother?”

Leia left her seat immediately and rushed over, kneeling before him. “Yes,” she breathed. “I’ve never stopped being your mother. I…” she swallowed thickly. “I have hoped I might see you again for many years.”

She started to reach out for him, but stopped when he widened his eyes in warning. He glanced away, swallowing thickly. “If that were true, you never would have sent me away.”

Leia shook her head vigorously. “No. I didn’t want to send you away. I thought you needed training. I thought that Luke…” she trailed off, closing her eyes. “I was wrong.” She looked at Kylo again. “Your father and I were wrong. We never should have sent you away. We should have been there for you.”

Kylo’s breath rate increased as his emotions threatened to overwhelm him.

Leia, her eyes never leaving his, slowly reached out a hand to cup his cheek, her eyes filling with tears as she touched him. “My boy,” she whispered. “What have they done to you?”

Kylo swallowed, attempting to keep a tight hold on his bitterness, to tamp down the hope he felt stirring. “I heard you.” Leia frowned, shaking her head in confusion. “I heard you and Han talking about me when you thought I couldn’t hear. I know you didn’t want me, that you thought I was bad.”

Leia shook her head. “No. We were worried about you. You had a power your father and I didn’t know how to manage. That’s why we sent you to Luke. So that he could help you, save you from the dark side.” She looked at him a long moment, while he tried to digest this information. “Clearly it was a mistake.”

Kylo wrenched his head away from her touch. “Was it? I’m the strongest force user in the galaxy.”

Leia shook her head. “You would always have been that. But if we hadn’t sent you away then Snoke wouldn’t have had a chance to get his claws in you.”

Kylo regarded her. “Snoke taught me about the true source of my power.” He continued on when he saw her confusion. “Darth Vader is the grandfather _you_ kept from me. Our family arose from the dark side. I was destined for this.” He hissed the last at her.

Leia sighed shakily, a guilty expression on her face. “Darth Vader - Anakin Skywalker - was a Jedi before he succumbed to the dark side. Our family is strong in the force, but you were not destined for the dark side. You’re not a Sith.”

Kylo held his head up. “You’re right. I’m more.” Having had enough of his little family reunion, Kylo severed the bond, giving Rey a warning glance as he did so.

* * *

Rey rushed over to Leia, who had sunk to the floor after the connection was severed. Putting a hand on her shoulder she asked “Are you all right?”

Leia nodded, eyes closed. Swallowing, she opened her eyes and gave Rey a watery smile. “Honestly, it went better than I expected. Ben…” she sighed. “Ben was never an easy child. Always overly emotional and a terrible sleeper. I sensed the darkness warring for him before he was even born. Han…Han loved Ben and Ben worshipped his father, but eventually he was simply too much for us. We sent him away out of love, a hope that what had happened with Anakin Skywalker wouldn’t happen with Ben. But in retrospect it was the worst decision we could have made. I wish I could go back, to make sure Ben knew how much his father and I loved him…” Leia trailed off.

Rey gave her a hopeful smile. “We’re going to get him back. I promise.”

Leia swallowed, nodding before seeming to put her feelings aside, resuming the General Organa façade. “So, tell me this plan of yours.”

Rey took a deep breath. “It’s almost surely suicide and if we fail, you’ll lose your best fighters.”

Leia smiled. “Those are always the best plans.”

Rey returned her smile. “It begins with the Queen requesting an audience with Hux.”

* * *

“If anyone has _any_ doubts, now’s the time to voice them.” Poe looked around their small group. They each shook their head.

“We’re with you, Poe,” said Finn, Rose nodding by his side.

Poe held up his hands. “This one is all Rey’s idea. So remember that if things go south, you can blame her.” Poe winked at her.

Rey let out a shaky breath. “Ok. Is everyone confident what their role is?”

Rose put a hand on Rey’s arm, giving her a reassuring smile. “We’ve got this.”

Rey returned her smile and then turned to Poe. “Is Chewbacca in position?”

Poe nodded. “I saw the smoke rising right before we got here. He’s in position with the Naboo infantry, ready to fight when the time comes.” Poe let out a breath. “I can’t believe you convinced the Queen to help us.”

Rey swallowed. “I just wish we had more than just Naboo helping…”

Poe shook his head. “After all the months of doors in our faces, what you’ve done is amazing.” He opened his mouth to say more, but then held up a hand. They all listened, hearing the sounds of an approaching ship. “Alright. It’s now or never…”

They quickly got into position, each hiding behind a pillar as the First Order ship approached and landed outside the Palace walls. Rey inhaled slowly, trying to calm her racing heart. This was their last ditch effort to defeat the First Order and get Kylo back. If they failed, the Resistance was truly ended. Swallowing down thoughts of failure, she dared peek around her pillar, glad for the darkness that shielded her and her comrades from view. She watched as several stormtroopers exited the craft, Hux in the middle of them. Two sentries stood outside the ship. Rey was unsure how many more, if any, were stationed on the inside of the ship. She hoped there were at least 2 more or they would have to get creative.

They waited as Hux was greeted by the Queen and walked inside.

Then they waited until the palace around them became silent.

Then they waited some more.

Finally, after what had been at least twenty agonizing minutes, Rey looked at Poe and nodded. Poe signaled to Finn and Rose and the four of them crept around either side of the ship. They were careful to keep their footsteps light. The less noise they made, the higher their chances of success. Rey and Poe crept around one side while Finn and Rose crept around the other. When they got close to the exit, almost on top of the sentries, Poe pulled out a small blaster. Aiming carefully, Rey holding her breath, Poe shot a single round. Almost at the same time they heard another round. Both sentries dropped to the ground.

The four of them quickly grabbed the troopers and dragged them onto the ship. When they met with no resistance on board, Rey looked at Poe. He shook his head once. “Well, I guess now we get creative.” He pointed to the troopers. “You guys get to stripping them of their armor. I’m going to have a look around this ship.”

Rey, Finn, and Rose got to stripping the armor off the troopers. When Finn removed the helmet off the first one, he stared at it. “I never thought I’d have to wear this again.”

Rose, grabbed his arm. “Hey. It’s just for a little while.” She stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. “And this time you’ll be wearing it to save people. Not hurt them.”

Finn swallowed and nodded, setting the helmet aside and continuing to remove the armor. Once they were done the three of them looked at each other. Rey nodded to the both of them. “You should wear it. I’ll find somewhere to hide.”

“What about Poe?” Finn asked.

“Way ahead of you,” Poe said, sneaking up on them, wearing a flight captain’s uniform. “Guess I can check off another First Order ship off my list of fantasy ships to fly.”

Rey smiled at him and then nodded to Rose and Finn. “Ok, you two get dressed and get back out there before Hux returns. Poe and I will go stash these two somewhere.”

They were too heavy for Rey to lift, so Poe threw one of the men over his shoulder while Rey scouted ahead for him. Peaking out the back exit she saw the coast was clear and waved Poe out. He quickly ran back towards the darkness, returning less than a minute later and repeating it all over again with the other trooper and the ship’s pilot.

Just as he was returning, Finn and Rose, who looked a little conspicuously short, took their positions on either side of the exit. Poe ran up to the front and Rey began looking for a good place to hide. Before she found one, Finn hissed that Hux was returning. Rey’s heart sped up as she frantically began pulling at any and everything that could be a door, drawer, or closet. Just as she began hearing the sound of boots on pavement she finally had some luck, opening what appeared to be a small utility closet. There was barely enough room for her to fit. Luckily she had experience fitting into small spaces. Closing the door behind her she waited, hardly daring to breathe once the sounds of boots entered the ship.

She heard the troopers take position as Hux barked out orders to return to their Star Destroyer. The ship shuddered as the engines started and Rey nearly fell into the door, losing her balance as the ship lifted off the ground.

“Did you hear that?”

Rey closed her eyes and held her breath as the stormtrooper addressed his comrade.

“No,” came the reply. “What’d you hear?”

“It sounded like something falling in the utility closet.”

Rey began feeling faint, praying they wouldn’t open the door and discover her.

The second stormtrooper replied, “It was probably just something loose hitting the door on takeoff. I wouldn’t worry about it.”

There was a pause before the first trooper spoke again. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

Rey’s breath whooshed out of her, making her thankful for the rushing noise as they left the atmosphere. She was lightheaded now, but clung to one of the utility boxes, her knuckles white.

The ride to the star destroyer felt long as Rey kept her ears perked for signs that her comrades had been discovered. Her legs began cramping up, making the ride that much more difficult. But again Rey was no stranger to discomfort and willed her mind to concentrate on other things.

After what seemed like an eternity, she felt the ship slowing down, a clear sign they were nearly there. Only then did it occur to her that she had no idea how she was going to sneak off the ship in the middle of a busy hangar. _One problem at a time_ , she thought to herself. First she needed to wait until they landed and the ship emptied.

When they landed Rey was ready, gripping the box so hard her hands ached. But at least this time she didn’t bump into the wall. She waited as the telltale sounds of the ship being vacated filtered in to her.

“Will that be all, sir?” It sounded like Poe and Rey again held her breath. So far as she knew Hux had never seen Poe in person, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t recognize his voice.

“Yes, that will be all.” Hux sounded irritated and distracted.

Rey jumped when she heard a small rap of knuckles on her door as boots passed by. It must be Poe, signaling to her as he headed out to find Finn and Rose.

Rey continued to hold her breath as the ship emptied. She was trying to figure out a plan for getting off the ship when suddenly the door opened. Unexpected as it was, she fell forward, falling face first onto the deck of the ship. She scrambled to grab the light saber off her belt, but before she could she was hauled upright by her arms.

“Sir!” yelled one of the troopers. “We found someone hiding in the utility closet.”

Rey squinted, her eyes adjusting to the brightness, as Hux walked over. When he realized who she was, he smirked. “Ah yes. This must be the real reason the Queen called me down for such a pointless meeting.” He grabbed Rey’s chin, forcing her to look at him. “You are no doubt here to rescue my favorite prisoner.”

Rey glared at him, but didn’t respond.

Hux let go of her and turned to the stormtroopers.

“Take her to a cell. My esteemed prisoner will no doubt be very interested to hear that the lady of his,” Hux sneered, “ _affections_ has come to rescue him.” He looked back at Rey, leering at her. “And failed.” He grabbed her face again. “I should thank you for providing me just the thing to truly break him.”

Letting go of her, Hux walked off the ship, yelling over his shoulder, “Take her away. And make sure you relieve her of that primitive weapon of hers. We can’t have her getting any ideas of escape in her head.” Hux turned around and addressed her again. “And rest assured that the people of Naboo will suffer sufficiently to make up for their very obvious betrayal of my trust.”

Rey wrestled her arms, trying to free at least one to fight back, but the two trooper’s grip on her was too firm and before she could stop them they had relieved her of her lightsaber.

“Let’s go,” the taller one said as they both dragged her off the ship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks so much for reading. I do apologize that my updates take so long. This spring has been...difficult. I'm really hoping this month to update more frequently, hopefully once a week. Fingers crossed! Please let me know what you think of the fic. All comments and kudos much appreciated. Thanks!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Birthday Evi! :)

# Chapter 9

Rey’s mind raced, trying to figure how best to escape. She allowed the two stormtroopers to take her off the ship and through the hangar bay, figuring it was the best way of getting through it.

One of the troopers seemed to be leading, having a better idea of where they were headed. Rey had just decided she would let the pair of them drag her all the way to her cell, since it would likely be closest to where they were keeping Kylo, when she was suddenly jerked out of the hallway into a small room.

“Hey! What – “ Rey stopped when both troopers let her go, pulled off their helmets, and Rey found herself face to face with Finn and Rose.

Rey looked between them, a relieved smile on her face. “What are you doing here? I thought you got off to meet Poe.”

“I figured out where you hid when that stormtrooper heard a noise,” Finn answered. “I figured the best way for you to get out of the hangar bay was for us to pretend to drag you out.”

Rey smiled at both of them. “Thank you.” She took a large breath and sighed. “Now I suppose we should get back to it.”

Finn nodded. “We’ll meet Poe back at the rendezvous point.” He nodded at Rose. “Ready?”

She nodded back and then turned to Rey, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Good luck.”

Rey swallowed. “You as well.”

Finn and Rose both turned, put their helmets back on, and walked quickly out.

Rey moderated her breathing, trying to calm her nerves, and peeked around the corner. She seemed to be in a largely unoccupied corridor. She stepped back and closed her eyes, concentrating on the force and feeling for the people around her. After a moment she sensed several force signatures not too far from where she was currently at. Opening her eyes, she walked quickly out of the room and then stopped, her breath catching.

A sense of déjà vu overwhelmed her as she recognized the empty corridor from the vision she had seen on Takodana all those months ago. She felt the force hum within her as a sense of destiny filled every pore.

The sound of footsteps behind her snapped her out of her reverie and propelled her forward. Her heart was now racing not because of nerves, but because of excitement. She had little idea why the force had shown her those things in her vision, but now felt certain that she was on the right path.

She rounded the corner quickly, following the force signatures and trying to stay ahead of whoever was following behind her. She took the lack of shouting as a sign that they hadn’t yet seen her.

Rounding another corner she pressed herself into a small niche and pulled out her light saber, ready to activate it if the need arose. The footsteps, however, passed by and continued on. She let out a breath, slowly lowering her unignited saber, and peeking her head around the niche.

Seeing no one, she continued on, sensing she was close. As she reached the end of the corridor she heard talking and stopped at the corner’s edge. She quickly looked around the corner and saw two stormtroopers standing by a doorway.

Swallowing, she ignited her new saber staff, its light jagged from the fractured crystal halves. She whirled out from her corner and ran down the short hallway towards the surprised stormtroopers. They raised their blasters and began shooting. She deflected  the blasts with the ends of her lightsaber as she ran. When she reached them she swung her saber swiftly, taking down both stormtroopers with ease.

Breathing heavily, she looked around, fearing they had been heard. Silence greeted her. Not wasting any more time she opened the door and walked through into what was surely a cell block. Before she could look around, she realized that each door was being guarded by a stormtrooper, all of whom raised their weapons in unison and began firing.

Rey felt the force rise up within her, feeling as if time had slowed. She stalked forward, spinning her saber staff to ward off each blast and sending it back where it came from. The guards appeared scared of her, walking backwards as she walked forwards, and continued to shoot, shouting orders at each other. Without fully realizing what her own intentions were, she quickly lowered her lightsaber and held up a hand, halting all the blaster bolts where they stood.

There was a moment of pure silence as Rey concentrated on keeping the blaster bolts steady, sensing that the troopers were too stunned to move. Once again feeling the force swell within her, she sent a sudden push, forcing the bolts back towards the troopers and hitting them all. They all dropped in unison and Rey, hand still outstretched, breathed heavily, feeling slightly weary from the effort.

Shaking herself, realizing none of those were likely killing blows, she quickly lowered her hand and concentrated on finding whichever cell held Kylo. She frowned when she realized how many force signatures there were in this cell block, before she honed in on the one she was looking for and hurried to it.

* * *

The encounter with his mother had left Kylo feeling shaken and angry. This was the first time he had spoken to her in many years. He didn’t like the obvious aging he had seen, and struggled to keep a tight rein his emotions. She had seemed remorseful and sad about the past, which contradicted everything he had believed about his parents.

Kylo stewed in his raging emotions until he heard a commotion outside. His breath hitched when he managed to sense who was on the other side. So she had indeed come for him. His already turbulent emotions swelled and threatened to overwhelm him. He forced himself to concentrate on the present, and wondered if she was alone as he heard the frightened shouting outside his door. After a moment everything went silent and his heart caught in his throat. Surely she had not been hurt. Surely he would have sensed it.

He strained his ears, trying to hear what had happened, when he heard a loud bang close by and felt the air stir as the door to his cell opened.

“Ben,” he heard her breathe.

Kylo’s breath whooshed out in relief. Wishing he could see her, he felt for the thread within him. He found it quickly and tugged. Rey popped into sight in front of him, her eyes wide with surprise.

“I needed to see you,” he said simply.

She swallowed and nodded, rushing over to him. He felt more than saw her tug on his restraints and the collar on his neck. She chewed her lip as she thought and his eyes watched the movement. He swallowed as his breathing became shallow and he unconsciously licked his own lips. Her eyes snapped to his and he saw red creeping up her face as she grappled with embarrassment and uncertainty. He forgot how easily unguarded emotions could be sensed.

A moment of silence passed between them before he asked, “Do you have a lightsaber with you?”

Rey merely breathed rapidly a moment before shaking herself and nodding. He saw her reach down and grab the saber attached to her side. It was an interesting design, seeming to have openings on both ends rather than one, and had hand guards similar to his own saber. When she ignited it, he stared in surprise. It was a staff design, but the saber itself was like his own, the light jagged on both ends, seeming unstable, though it was blue in color rather than red.

“How – “ he started to ask.

She looked down at it. “I made it from the broken halves of my former saber.”

He looked up at her and said in a low voice. “You mean the one that belongs to me?”

She frowned at him. “We don’t have time for this. Hold still.” He watched her raise the staff and slice downward, hitting the chain on his right side. It fell off and as he flexed his wrist she broke the other chain holding him. His arms ached as he brought them both down, rubbing his wrists to regain feeling.

“What are we going to do about that?”

He looked up and saw Rey pointing to the collar around his neck. He reached up and felt around, but there was no obvious locking mechanism. Holding her eyes he replied. “There’s only one thing you can do. Use the saber to slice it off.”

She shook her head. “No. What if I slice off your head instead?”

He swallowed. “That’s a risk we’ll have to take. I can’t very well leave with it still attached. They could turn it on at any time and I would be on the floor.”

Rey frowned, obviously thinking, before nodding slowly. “Fine…hold very still. I’m going to do this slowly…it will likely be painful.”

Kylo nodded his head once. “Do it.”

He opted to close his eyes, listening to the sound of the unstable lightsaber as it got close to him. His heart raced and he struggled to moderate his breathing. He felt the sparks hit his neck and struggled not to flinch. Heat began rising on one side of his neck. His breathing became rapid as he realized Rey was trying to melt the collar off his neck. The burning sensation increased and despite his best efforts he grunted in pain.

The pain receded as Rey removed the saber and asked, “Do you want me to stop?”

“No.” It cost all of his concentration to say the word, but he reminded himself it had to be done. After a moment of hesitation, Rey again brought the saber slowly towards his neck.

“I’m over halfway through. When I get close I’m going to see if I can break it manually.”

“Just do it,” Kylo said through gritted teeth as the burning in his neck grew stronger. Time seemed to stand still as he worked to remain still through the pain. Finally, he sensed Rey stand back and opened his eyes. Without waiting for her to do it, Kylo reached up and pulled with all his strength, using the force to reinforce his hands. The collar snapped free and Kylo breathed a sigh of relief.

He stared down at it a moment before letting it drop and getting shakily to his feet. His hands gripped the wall, everything dark except for the woman in front of him. She stared at him, an unreadable expression on her face.

Without thinking Kylo grabbed either side of her face and leaned down, pressing his lips against hers. She gasped in surprise against his mouth her hands flying up to his wrists. After a moment, however, she relaxed, her hands sliding up his arms and down to his sides. He breathed out in relief, now moving his mouth against hers. He broke this kiss to kiss first one side of her mouth, then the other, tilting his head back and forth with each kiss.

“I’m not sure now’s the best time for that.”

Breaking apart with a gasp, he and Rey both turned towards the voice and found his uncle, a blue halo around him, looking at them with an eyebrow raised. Rey began to step back but Kylo tightened his hands on her face and spat at his uncle, “What are you doing here?”

It was only after he said this that he realized he could see his surroundings. He supposed it was due to his hands on Rey’s face. He felt her fingers trying to pull him away, but he flexed his fingers, keeping a firm hold on her.

He uncle gave him an even look. “I came to help you.”

Kylo scoffed, anger flaring in his chest. “Since when have you ever helped me?”

“Ben,” Luke began, walking towards them, “I’ve always wanted to help you.”

“Is that why you tried to kill me?” Kylo sneered. “To help me?”

Luke sighed. “As I said before, I failed you. I let a moment of weakness forever ruin you.”

Kylo let go of Rey’s face finally, grabbing her hand instead, and turning fully around to face his uncle. He suspected he could see Luke through the bond without touching Rey, but he wished to see his surroundings. He didn’t trust Luke, even if he was only a ghost.

“It was that moment of weakness that gave me the strength I have today.” He sneered at his uncle. “Maybe I should be thanking you for setting me on my true path.”

Luke shook his head. “Your true path is to stop the darkness, not embrace it.”

“Is that why everyone kept my heritage – _our_ heritage – away from me? To fabricate this lie that we arose from the light?” Kylo recalled the words of Lor San Tekka all those months ago.

“Our heritage is that of the Jedi,” Luke began.

Kylo cut him off. “Liar!” He pulled Rey with him as he walked towards the ghost of Luke bringing his face within inches of his uncle’s. “My grandfather - your father - was the greatest Sith of his time.”

“And before that,” Luke replied evenly, “he was one of the greatest Jedi of his time. Darth Vader did not start as a Sith. He became one when he let the dark side of the force into his life, when he rebelled against the rules and way of life of the Jedi and married my mother.”

Kylo barked a laugh. “Yes, without which, neither of us would be here. The rules of the Jedi were foolish and archaic and they were wiped out because of it.”

“I agree,” Luke replied.

Kylo pulled back in surprise, too stunned to reply.

“The Jedi hubris led to their downfall. They were so sure in their ability to sense the darkness that they let one of their own slip into darkness right before their eyes.” He glanced at Rey and then back at Kylo. “I never said the Jedi were perfect, but the Sith were responsible for the enslavement and terrorizing of the galaxy.”

“Ben,” Rey said softly. Kylo looked down at her, feeling tilted off his axis by his uncle’s admission. “There is another way. The force isn’t only about light and dark, it’s about balance.” She glanced over at Luke, whose eyebrows were raised at her. Taking a deep breath she looked between them. “I took the ancient Jedi texts from Ach-to when I left. I’ve spent most of my time translating the text on how to create light sabers, but when that frustrated me I translated other areas. The Jedi order was not founded harnessing only the light side of the force. It was about balance between the light and the dark.” She looked at Kylo then, squeezing his hand. “Snoke was right. I arose in the light to counteract your darkness. But we both have free will. We can choose who we are, separate and…” she paused, glancing back towards Luke. “And together.”

Kylo’s heart sped up as her eyes returned to his. Did she just say that they had a future together? His mind raced, thinking of the possibilities of their being together, and he tried to keep it in check. He wanted to ask her to clarify what she meant, but not in front of his uncle.

Kylo glanced back towards Luke. “What do you want from me?” He asked the question simply, feeling discombobulated, unsteady, and unsure what was happening.

“I understand if you never forgive me,” Luke replied. “I was foolish to ever think of harming you, regardless of what I saw. But you have a choice now, Ben. You can continue down the path of darkness, or you can help stop that darkness from spreading through the galaxy.”

Kylo breathed rapidly, his heart beating so heavily he felt each beat reverberate within his chest.

Before he could work his mind through the choice before him, he heard the sounds of shouting and footsteps headed in their direction. He looked quickly at Rey, seeing that she heard them as well.

“We have to leave,” she said to him. “You’ll have to help me fight the guards.”

He shook his head. “How can I do that when I can only see while holding your hand?”

Rey looked at him, mirroring his confusion. They both heard a sigh and turned to find Luke shaking his head.

“Have neither of you learned anything? The force isn’t about what you can _see._ ”

Kylo’s eyes widened as he realized Luke meant he would have to rely solely on his force ability. He looked between Rey and Luke, panic threatening as the sound of stormtroopers grew nearer. “I…I don’t have a light saber.”

“Oh!” Rey let go of his hand suddenly, his surroundings going black again, only Rey and his uncle visible. “I can help with that.” She held her light saber in both her palms, as if offering it to him, and touched a button he hadn’t noticed before. The saber broke cleanly in half and she grasped both halves, holding one out to him.

In a daze he grabbed one it. It felt strange to him, unlike his own saber, and yet also felt right. The weight was different than he was used to, but the hand guards gave him the illusion he was using his own saber.

Hearing the shouting nearly at their door he turned back towards Luke, only to find him gone. He glanced at Rey, who shrugged in response. She came to stand shoulder to shoulder with him, igniting her end of the saber. He faced front, concentrating on the force around him. Sensing the bodies headed their way, he ignited his own half of the saber and prepared to fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always thanks for reading! Comments and Kudos are appreciated.


	10. Chapter 10

#  **Chapter 10**

Rey could still sense the connection between her and Kylo. It was a strange feeling as she felt force power traveling between the two of them, light mixing with dark.

Kylo looked at her, sensing the same, and said, “Don’t let the connection break.”

She nodded and he turned his head forward, bringing his lightsaber up, battle ready. She mirrored his stance, bringing her own lightsaber up as the commotion drew nearer.

“Rey,” Kylo said, glancing back at her. “We have to free my Knights.”

Rey shook her head rapidly. “We don’t have time.”

“I won’t leave them,” Kylo replied softly. He faced front again. “They are in here because of me.”

“Ben-“ Rey began.

“They can help us,” Kylo interrupted.

Rey breathed deeply and then nodded. “Fine. You work on freeing them and I’ll handle the guards.”

There was shouting on the other side of their door and the sounds of battle. Rey hoped that meant that Finn, Poe, and Rose had come to find them with a large retinue of stormtroopers.

“No,” Kylo said. “We go together.”

Rey shook her head. “We don’t have time for that.”

“I’m not leaving you to fight alone,” he replied.

Before she could respond the door flew open. They both immediately raised their lightsabers to attack.

“Whoa!” Poe raised his arms in defense. “It’s me! It’s me!”

Rey lowered her lightsaber, though Kylo still kept his raised.

“Poe – “ Rey began, before Poe pushed her back into the cell, using the wall as cover from the sudden rain of blaster fire.

“What are you doing here?” Rey continued. “How’d you find us? Did Finn get any of the stormtroopers to turn?”

Poe leaned around the corner and began shooting.

“Yeah, we hit a little snag,” he said as he continued firing. “He managed to convince a few, but most just turned on us.”

“How many?” Rey asked. She looked at Kylo. His lightsaber was still raised as he faced Poe.

“Uh…” Poe looked at her quickly. “About 10-15?”

“That’s it?” Rey asked quietly, feeling stunned that so few had turned.

“Rey,” Kylo said, gaining her attention. “We need to get the Knights.”

Rey nodded. “Poe can you cover us?”

“What are you going to do?” Poe asked, turning around briefly, before sticking his arm out and firing.

“Kylo’s Knights are all locked in here as well. If we free them they can help us.”

“We need to get out of here,” Poe shouted as he ducked back to avoid another volley of blaster fire.

“If we don’t save them first then we stand no chance of making it out of here alive,” Kylo replied.

“POE!” Finn shouted from somewhere out in the melee. “What’s taking so long? We need to get out of here!”

Poe looked at Kylo, doing a double take as he realized the Kylo was blind.

“And how are you gonna make it out of here like that?” Poe replied.

Rey grabbed Poe’s arm. “Don’t worry about that. Just cover us so we can get the rest of Kylo’s team out here to help us.”

Poe sighed. “Fine.” He looked over at Kylo. “They’d better be worth it.”

Kylo didn’t respond, though his knuckles turned white as he gripped his saber harder and Rey felt a wave of dark force power hit her through their bond.

Poe looked back at Rey. “Ready whenever you are.” He looked over at Kylo again. “Any chance you wanna do that little trick to stop the blaster fire from hitting us?”

Kylo didn’t answer the question, instead holding his hand up and closing his eyes. Rey could feel his concentration on the battle ahead of them. The rain of blaster fire stopped in the air as it entered the room. A moment later he pushed his hand forward and the bolts flew back out the door. They heard several shouts as the fire hit its mark.

Poe looked at Rey and tilted his head. “I’ve got to admit, that’s a handy trick.” Then he held up his blaster and ran through the door shouting “Finn! Rose! Help me cover them!”

Kylo nodded at Rey quickly. “You first. I’ll follow. They should be in the cells on this block.”

Rey nodded back and ran through the door. She was met with complete chaos. It was difficult to tell who was on which side as she ran to the next door, Poe next to it firing rapidly from the doorway. Rey swung her saber down to break the lock and open the door. Running in, she raced over to break the chains. Looking back she saw Poe in the doorway firing and Kylo blocking blaster fire with his saber.

When the Knight was free, she simply ran back to the doorway.

“Sir?” the knight asked.

“We fight with the Resistance,” answered Kylo. “Help us free the rest.”

“I don’t have – “ the knight started to say, when Poe tossed him a blaster.

“Hopefully you know how to use this,” he said.

Without waiting to see if he did, Rey ran out the door, Kylo following closely behind. They hurried into each room, freeing each Knight as quickly as possible. There were half a dozen of them. When they reached the last room, the woman inside gasped when she saw Kylo.

“Sir!” she said, taking in his weathered appearance and obvious blindness. “What’s going on?”

Rey ran over to her, breaking her chains. As the woman scrambled to her feet she said, “I swear I didn’t know what Jesmaae had planned. Before I could resist they knocked me out and I woke up here. I could hear your screams from here.” She raced over to Kylo, putting a hand on his arm. “What did he do to you?” she asked.

Rey blinked rapidly as she watched them, wondering what sort of relationship the pair had.

Kylo whipped his head towards her and Rey cursed herself for not properly blocking the thought from him.

“Rey, this is Zira. My second in command.”

Zira looked Rey over with interest. “So you’re the one we spent so much time to find.”

Rey sensed bitterness in the woman and didn’t reply. She looked at Kylo.

“We need to go.” She quickly ran back out the door. Now that there were half a dozen Knights of Ren helping them fight, each having grabbed blasters off downed stormtroopers, they were starting to make headway down the hallway.

“Finn!” Rey shouted, running over to him, deflecting blaster fire with her saber as she went. Kylo followed behind, using the force to throw several stormtroopers backwards, knocking others down as they went.

“We need to get out of here,” Rey said.

Finn nodded. “Back this way. I know a short cut.”

Rey nodded as Poe yelled out “Fall back!”

They raced down the hallway, following Finn’s lead, stopping every so often to fire back against the rain of blaster fire following them. Rey was glad Finn knew where he was going because with each twist and turn she found herself completely turned around. Finally Finn opened a door leading to a stairwell.

Finn yelled, “Everyone through here!”

Poe waved people through, as he and Finn continued firing.

“It’ll be like shooting water in a barrel down there,” Poe said.

Finn shook his head once. “It’s the only chance we’ve got. We can’t all fit in a lift.”

Rey ducked through the doorway, but stopped, using the wall as cover to continue firing. Kylo followed her, ducking on the opposite side of the doorway. He closed his eyes, concentrating before sticking a hand out again and using the force to stop all blaster fire in mid-air. Finn and Poe both looked back at him, nonplussed.

“Go!” Shouted Kylo, his hand beginning to shake as more and more blaster bolts headed towards them.

Rey closed her own eyes as Finn and Poe rushed by, the Knights not far behind, feeling for the connection between her and Kylo and sending as much force power as she could down it to help him hold back the barrage of blaster bolts. When the last Knight ran through she grabbed Kylo’s hand.

“Come on!” Rey pulled Kylo down the first flight of stairs, trying to drop his hand as they descended. He gripped her hand hard and she realized that with the connection he would be able to see his way down the stairs.

“Don’t let go,” he said as they raced down one flight after another.

She shook her head, breathing heavily. “I won’t.”

She could hear the sounds of footsteps above them as a blaster bolt whizzed past her, burning her cheek. She cried out and Kylo stopped, suddenly raising his hand above them. Rey could feel the dark force gathering to him, felt it when Kylo released it and several storm troopers cried out, falling through the gap in the stairwell.

Before Rey could respond Kylo pulled her forward. “Come on.”

She felt dazed as they continued their descent. The power coming down their bond was black as night, but also extremely potent and powerful.

Rey’s legs began to burn as they descended further and further down the seemingly endless stairwell. Finally she heard Finn below her yell, “Through here!”

As she and Kylo drew near the doorway she heard shouting and the sound of blasterfire ahead.

“Great,” she breathed. Now they would be all but surrounded. When she and Kylo flew through the doorway she once again saw complete chaos. There was nowhere to run as ahead of them where at least 20 stormtroopers and behind them more troopers came filing out of the stairwell.

She glanced at Kylo, trying to free her hand as her other gripped her light saber.

“Don’t let go,” Kylo said again, his own saber in his non-dominant hand.

Rey swallowed. “We can’t fight one-handed.”

“No,” Kylo agreed. “But we can fight as one.” He glanced around at the chaos.

“KNIGHTS!” he screamed. “In formation!”

Rey became distracted as a blaster bolt flew past, much too close for comfort. She glanced back, trying to use the force to sense those around her. It was impossible. She sensed the signatures of her friends, but couldn’t discern which of the troopers were on their side. She held her saber up, using it to deflect the blaster fire. She felt Kylo drop her hand and glanced quickly at him. He turned around, grabbing her hand again as he switch his saber to his dominant hand. Now they were facing opposite sides of the battle. Then she noticed that the Knights had lined up on either side of her and Kylo, those next to her facing the same direction she was and those next to Kylo facing opposite. She felt the force swell around her and watched in amazement as the Knights raised their hands in unison. It was as if they had created a wall on either side of the hallway. No blaster bolts could penetrate it.

“Have our allies stay within 5 feet of our line,” Kylo said to Rey.

“FINN” Rey shouted. “ROSE! POE! Get close to us!”

“How are you doing that?” she asked Kylo as her friends and new allies all grouped together on either side of the line.

Rather than answer her, Kylo turned to Finn. “We need to get out of here. Head towards hangar bay.”

Finn nodded, pointing ahead of him. “Follow me,” he shouted at everyone

As one unit, Kylo, Rey, and the Knights of Ren walked towards the direction of the hangar bay, their allies keeping close to them. Despite their best efforts the other stormtroopers could not penetrate the barrier the Knights had created. Rey did her best to sense the wall, making sure there were no weak spots, but found it completely solid. As they walked forward, the stormtroopers in front of them were pushed backwards, some falling and being pushed forward as if by a broom.

“What are we going to do once we hit the hangar?” Rey asked.

Kylo looked over at her. “Run.”

He turned to Poe. “We’ll have to take two transports. Can you fly one?”

Poe barked a laugh. “How do you think we got here?”

Rey sensed Kylo’s annoyance, saw his lip curl, but he merely replied. “Good. They’re on the left of the hangar. When we get there we’ll be fighting more than just stormtroopers. My Knights and I won’t be able to keep all the fire at bay.”

Poe nodded sharply. “You just take care of getting to one of those transports and I’ll get to the other. Then follow my lead out of here. They’re not going to let us go without a fight.”

Kylo nodded as they reached the hanger bay.

“Alright people, here we go!” yelled Poe. He raised his blaster and charged forward.

Rey started to move forward, but Kylo gripped her hand, stopping her.

“Not yet,” he said. He looked down the line of Knights. “Once they’re all in the hanger, we go.”

Rey took a deep breath as she watched her friends run out into the hangar, firing their blasters in every direction while Kylo and his Knights held off the troops behind them. As if sensing her apprehension, Kylo squeezed her hand, sliding his eyes towards her. The corner of his mouth lifted subtly. The smirk reminded Rey of his father and was gone so quickly she wondered if it had been there at all.

“We’ll have to let go,” Kylo said. “Make sure you keep a tight hold of the bond. I’ll follow you into one of the transports. You’ll have to fly it.”

Rey blew out a breath and nodded, her heart rate picking up as Kylo dropped her hand. As one, the rest of the Knights dropped their hands, turning and running into the chaos of the hangar bay.

Rey ran forward, making sure she could feel the bond connecting her and Kylo. The last thing they needed was Kylo running truly blind, though how he would avoid tripping over the downed bodies, she wasn’t sure.

Blaster bolts whizzed by, some close enough that she could feel their heat. Rey wished she had a blaster to fire back with. Instead she raised her light saber, deflecting as many bolts as she could, jumping over downed bodies and slashing at anyone who got too close. She glanced behind her and saw Kylo had lagged behind her. He tripped over bodies but managed to stay upright.

“Rey!” he shouted. “Keep going!”

Rey nodded and turned around, just in time to deflect a blaster bolt from hitting her square in the chest. She charged forward, taking out the shooter with one swipe of her saber. Up ahead she saw the transports they needed, Poe already boarding one and several people following. In all the chaos Rey hadn’t been able to see how many of their side they had lost on their way here.

Just before she reached the other transport she felt a sudden burning sensation in her leg and dropped to one knee as she cried out. Looking down she saw a gash burned through her thigh. She tried standing as she deflected blaster fire. Her leg nearly buckled, but held as she tried putting most of her weight on her other leg. She tried taking a step forward and stumbled, feeling another shot hit her left arm.

Before she had a chance to react a hand grabbed her right arm, pulling her up and forward. When she looked, she saw Kylo.

“Come on,” he said, dragging her forward. Holding her arm, he would be able to see where he was headed. She stumbled several times as they ran forward, trying to deflect as much fire as possible, and made it to the transport.

Once inside, Rey grabbed the side of the wall, breathing heavily. Kylo, also breathing heavily as his Knights boarded behind them, looked her over.

“Can you still fly with those wounds?” he asked.

Rey nodded, swallowing as she forced herself to walk quickly forward, towards the ships controls. When she reached the controls, she sat down, powering the ship on.

“Someone is going to need to man the blaster canon,” she said. “They’re not going to make it easy for us to get out of here.”

“Ely,” Kylo gestured to one of the Knights, who nodded his head and headed back towards the blaster canon.

Kylo took a seat behind Rey, putting a hand on her shoulder, likely to make sure he could still see. Rey breathed deeply as her hands flew over the controls, preparing the ship to depart. Just as she got everything in place there was a loud boom and the ship lurched sharply.

“Go!” Kylo shouted at her. Immediately she pushed the throttle forward and the ship lifted off and headed towards the open hangar bay door. Another boom hit their starboard side and the ship listed sharply to the left. Rey did her best to course correct. Unfortunately, though equipped with a blaster canon, transport ships weren’t exactly combat ready. Another transport ship moved in front of her, likely Poe’s, as they cleared the hangar bay doors, both ships’ blaster canons firing rapidly.

“Evasive maneuvers!” Kylo shouted at her as another boom hit their port side.

“I know that! Hang on!” Rey shouted. She turned the ship sharply to the left and downwards, a smile breaking out on her face. One thing she’d learned in her recent travels was that it was incredibly fun to test a ship’s maneuverability.

Several TIE fighters flew overhead and down in front of her, shooting as they went. Rey barely evaded their fire.

“I’m going to try something,” Rey said, swallowing. Here’s hoping it worked.

She maneuvered to the right, drawing several TIE fighters with her. She swerved around to the left and upwards, drawing more towards her as Ely fired their canon. Then she flew straight. Several more TIE fighters darted past her, swinging around in front, firing. She moved the ship sharply down towards the planet, causing the fire to hit several of the TIE fighters following behind, the rest crashing into the remaining ships.

Rey whooped for joy that it had worked, continuing her downward descent towards the planet. She put the thrusters at full speed.

“You can’t enter the atmosphere at this angle and speed,” Kylo warned.

“I know,” replied Rey, not changing her trajectory. She sent a wave of trust down their bond.

As they began entering the atmosphere the ship shook so much Rey could barely control it.

“You have to pull up!” Kylo yelled.

“Trust me!” Rey yelled back.

Kylo opened his mouth to say more, before closing it again, squeezing Rey’s shoulder as he likely realized what she was up to.

 _Just a little further,_ Rey thought. Behind them there was a sudden explosion, jolting them forward. Rey let out a breath as the remaining TIE fighters exploded trying to follow her sharp trajectory. She pulled up sharply, correcting their descent so that their own ship wouldn’t blow apart.

She looked back at Kylo and smiled. His mouth turned upwards as he replied, “That was a smart move.”

Rey faced forwards again, still smiling. _On to phase two,_ she thought as they headed towards where Chewbacca was waiting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew! Man. Writing battle scenes suuuuuucks. XD Here's hoping it's coherent! Haha! Comments and Kudos are always appreciated!


	11. Chapter 11

#  **Chapter 11**

As they descended towards the rendezvous point Rey took notice of the cloud cover. The clouds were enormous and Rey could see lightning flashing.

“This is going to be interesting,” Rey said. Kylo didn’t answer and when she looked back his expression was solemn. They were going to be fighting this battle in the rain. The only good thing about the storm was that it would be nearly impossible for the orbiting ship to get a lock on them through the lightning interference. If Hux wanted to see how the battle was going, he was going to have to come down to the planet.

As they neared the clouds Rey shouted back, “Hang on! It’s going to get bumpy!”

They entered the clouds, the white quickly giving way to dark gray. Water beaded up on the transport windshield and Rey could see nothing as they descended. The ship began shaking, dropping several feet at once in the unstable atmosphere.

When the cloud cover finally dissipated, they were much closer to the ground than Rey expected. She pulled up sharply, skimming the cloud cover and praying no lightning bolts would find them. It was difficult to see where they were headed in the torrential downpour.

“Over there,” Kylo said, pointing.

Rey followed his line of sight and saw what looked like troops. She turned the ship and headed towards them, landing next to a rock outcrop. They got up and walked to the open bay door, Kylo holding her hand as Rey limped slightly from her leg wound. The Knights of Ren were standing just inside the door, out of the rain.

Zira looked at them both. “What are our orders?” she asked Kylo.

He looked at all the Knights and then again at Rey. “We fight the First Order.” He held Rey’s eyes as he continued, as if daring her to contradict him. “No quarter. No prisoners. We either succeed against Hux or we die.” He looked back at Zira as Rey felt uncertainty bloom in her chest. Many of the stormtroopers were with the First Order involuntarily. “Is that clear?”

Zira didn’t answer at first and Rey could sense her uncertainty. “Yes, sir.” Her eyes went to the saber strapped to Rey’s belt and its partner strapped to Kylo’s side. “We have no lightsabers, sir.”

Kylo’s gaze moved over each of them. “Then I suggest you get comfortable with a blaster.” He swallowed, his breathing shallow as he pointed at Chewbacca, who was jogging towards them in the rain. “He can help.”

As Chewbacca drew near Rey sensed Kylo’s fear and guilt through their bond, felt his hand tighten on hers. Rey looked at him, sending a wave of hope down their bond. Then she turned to Chewbacca.

“The First Order should be here soon,” she said. “They were not far behind us when we entered the atmosphere.” She pointed towards the Knights of Ren. “They will need weapons.”

Chewbacca looked them up and down and then indicated they should follow him. He turned back towards Rey, eyeing Kylo.

“Raaaaaahhgh uugggh huurh wrrhwrwwhw?” he asked, nodding towards Kylo, likely noticing his blindness.

Rey watched Kylo swallow again.

“He’s going to help the Resistance,” Kylo responded. Rey sensed waves of apprehension and guilt flowing through their bond, all the more potent because of it.

“He’s here to help us,” Rey said quietly, giving Chewbacca a pleading look as lightning flashed ahead.

Chewbacca regarded them for a moment before turning back around.

“Uughghhhgh raaaaaahhgh uggguh.”

Rey sent Kylo a quick smile as they followed the wookie over to the rest of the soldiers, Kylo gripping her hand as they walked. Rey attempted to ignore the warmth that bloomed in her chest at the contact, knowing now was not the time. By the time they reached the others, Finn, Poe, Rose, and the defected stormtroopers had joined them as well. Blasters and other weapons were being passed around, while paint was being applied to the stormtroopers’ armor to distinguish them from the enemy. Rey wondered how they would handle fighting their former comrades and hoped they didn’t freeze when the time came.

Poe headed over towards Leia and the other leaders to discuss battle strategy. Rey started to walk over to join them, but felt her arm jerk when Kylo didn’t move with her. He was rooted to the spot as he watched his mother speaking with the general of the Naboo armies.

“Ben?” Rey asked, pushing wet hair out of her eyes. His eyes flicked to hers as he swallowed thickly. She heard the sounds of approaching ships above the boom of thunder and flashes of lightning and knew their time was running short. The First Order would soon be upon them. She pulled his hand again. “We don’t have time. We have to find out what’s going on and where we’re needed.” This time he followed her as she tugged him towards Leia and the rest of the leadership.

* * *

Kylo tried and failed to calm himself, his emotions scattering with each step towards his mother. His last meeting with her had not gone well, but there was also the added emotional potency of meeting in person rather than through the force bond. He felt a wave of understanding flood him through his bond with Rey and was grateful for her calming influence. The last thing he needed was to be distracted during battle. It would be difficult enough to be of use without his sight. He couldn’t exactly hold Rey’s hand the entire time, as much as he would like to.

When they reached the team of leaders, people running off in different directions to prepare as the incoming ships closed in on them, Leia turned towards them. She froze, her eyes widening before she blinked rapidly and cleared her throat, obviously trying to reign in her emotions. Kylo merely nodded once at her, unsure of what to say or do.

“My Knights of Ren and I are joining the fight,” he said, addressing all those present. “They are without lightsabers, but have trained in several different weapons and are ready to fight where they’re needed.”

“What’s our plan?” Rey asked.

Leia sighed. “We meet them on the battlefield and hope we win.”

“We have a few tricks up our sleeve,” said one of the generals. “But for now, we fight them on open ground.”

The sound of blasters firing and the approach of AT-ATs met their ears, along with shouts.

“Any plans for how to handle those?” Kylo asked, somewhat sarcastically.

The scream of what sounded like X-wings approached from their right.

“As a matter of fact, we do,” Leia replied, equally sarcastic.

It was only then that Kylo realized Poe was no longer present. He itched to get into a ship himself, and felt bitterness rise in him at the thought that he would never have the pleasure again. He looked back at the Knights who were awaiting his instructions.

“Find a fight and take them down,” he said, nodding in the direction of the battle. They returned his nod and headed into the fray just ahead.

He turned towards Rey, igniting his saber. “Ready?”

“Are you sure that’s the best idea?” Leia asked, sounding worried.

Before he could respond, Rey replied, “The force isn’t about what you can see.” She turned towards him and smirked. His own mouth twitched upwards in reply, before he finally let go of her, closing his eyes and saying “Remember, don’t break the connection.”

“Ben.” His mother’s voice sounded hesitant, yet also slightly panicked.

He opened his eyes, though without direct contact with Rey he could see only darkness and Rey. He felt his mother’s hand on hesitantly settle on his arm.

Kylo shook his head. “There’s no time.” He cursed the waver in his voice and felt the urge to rip his arm away. Fighting that instinct, he gently but firmly grabbed her hand off of him, turning around towards the battle ahead, again closing his eyes.

He focused on the force around him, on the battle ahead of him, sensing his comrades and the enemies they fought. He swallowed as he wondered if his mother was right. This might not be the best time to learn to fight totally blind.

“It’s going to have to be,” Rey said, answering his unspoken thought.

Before Kylo could take a step he felt a sharp shift in the force around them and pushed Rey down, the sound of a blaster bolt hitting something behind them ricocheting around them.

Rey breathed quickly. “Thanks.”

“Go,” was all he said in reply. To his surprise, he felt the force swelling around him, as if his sense of it had been heightened. Perhaps it was the blindness itself, or perhaps it was his battle mode kicking in, but he could sense every person nearby, every bolt flying.

He turned as he sensed an enemy approach, bringing up his saber to block a blaster bolt and send it back to its owner. He heard a scream as the bolt hit his intended target. Smiling to himself he stalked forwards, both hands on his saber, parrying bolt after bolt back towards his new enemies. He heard screams all around him, though the din of battle was almost background noise as he remained focused on gaining ground against his enemies.

Just as he was about to charge forward he felt another shift in the force to his left and turned, swiping his saber upwards and hitting his intended assassin. From that point forward he was truly in the fray. Trooper after trooper came after him, some with blasters in front, and some trying to sneak behind. He was being assaulted from every angle, but none had managed to hit him. His breath rate increased with his battle fury until, with a roar, he drew his saber in a circle slicing all those near him. He charged forward, slashing at all those around him, briefly wondering at his ability to discern friend from foe, before quickly turning his attention back to the task at hand. He wondered how Rey was fairing, knowing she had not yet been hurt, as he had felt nothing through their connection.

* * *

Rey felt fury building within her as she charged forwards, ignoring the pain in her leg, blocking blast after blast. She had lost Kylo early on in the battle, and suspected her anger was not all her own. She channeled it as best she could into defeating those firing at her. She swooped down towards a fallen trooper to grab his blaster and held it up, parrying blasts with the saber in her right hand and shooting the blaster with her left.

Chaos was everywhere, the rain making it more difficult to see what was happening. Poe was leading a squadron of Naboo’s air force in trying to take down the AT-ATs, TIE Fighters hot on their tail. Chewbacca was attempting to lure the First Order troops back into the tree line where, if the plan was being followed, there were additional forces waiting in the trees to surprise their enemies. Rey saw several of the Knights of Ren fighting near her and shouted at them.

“Push them towards the tree line!”

They nodded and began changing their attacks, pushing the enemy into the waiting ambush. Rey smiled and then turned around, nearly hit with a blaster bolt while she had been preoccupied. Anger rushed through her and she bared her teeth, screaming as she charged forward and slashed at her assailants.

It seemed that for every trooper she took down, five more took its place. Wave after wave headed towards them. She looked around quickly and saw that so far the Resistance had been able to hold their line, but she wondered how long they could handle the assault before the First Order got the upper hand. When it came down to numbers, they were sorely outnumbered. What they needed to do was get to Hux. Only by stopping him could they truly win.

As Rey continued to fight she began searching the battlefield for Kylo.

* * *

Kylo felt droplets sliding down his face, though he didn’t know if it was sweat or simply rain. Despite the ruthlessness of his fighting he had yet to feel the exhaustion that would certainly consume him at the end of battle. It was as if he had liquid energy running through his veins. Despite the loss of his sight, he had never felt stronger. As the attacks became slower he began to feel a sense of urgency. Rey was searching for him, wanting to find Hux and end this. He tried not to split his attention too much, but began using the force to search for his nemesis.

Kylo sensed him, off in the distance, behind the line of AT-ATs. The good news was he was on the ground. Likely Hux had had difficulty keeping the command shuttle, _his_ command shuttle, in the air in this storm.

He felt a tug on his bond with Rey as she tried to pinpoint his location.

“We need to –“ she started, running up to him.

“Over there,” he said, cutting her off to point in the direction he sensed the General. “Hux is that way.”

Rey grabbed his hand and the world suddenly reappeared before him. He blinked rapidly in the shock as Rey pulled him along with her. When he regained his composure he increased their pace, now pulling Rey along behind him. They blocked blaster fire as they ran, sending the bolts back to their owners and slashing at any who happened to get too close to them.

As they neared the line of AT-ATs the X-wings finally crippled one. As it fell, Kylo looked up, seeing it was headed straight down on top of them.

“COME ON!” He yelled, pulling her quickly to the side as the huge transport fell. He was practically dragging her through the mud by the end, yanking her arm to go faster and finally jumping and pulling her with him. The transport hit the ground with a loud boom, narrowly missing their legs. Several soldiers on both sides had not been as lucky.

Kylo and Rey both breathed heavily, faces inches apart, until Rey got up suddenly, pulling Kylo up with her.

“Let’s go,” she gasped.

He nodded and they took off again. As they neared the command ship, the number of stormtroopers increased ten-fold. Kylo chanced a glance behind them and realized most of their force was still well off.

Rey started to protest when Kylo dropped her hand, but he sent a wave of trust flowing down their bond as he began slashing his lightsaber forward, both parrying fire and killing foes. He would never have believed it, but his sight had become a hindrance for his concentration on the force. Without it he had a laser-sharp focus on his surroundings. He whipped around, hearing Rey roar as she fought off assailants as well.

He felt the force signatures of his Knights behind him, along with Finn and some of the defected troopers, as they ran up to help the pair fight their way to Hux. Kylo sensed them on either side of him, creating a tunnel of sorts, leading right towards the transport ship. He charged forward, trusting they would cover his sides as he gained ground. He saw Rey running next to him, their connection still strong, and they both took down trooper after trooper, heading ever closer to the transport ship.

As the reached it, he nodded for Rey to head to the left while he came around the right side of the ship.

* * *

Rey parted from Kylo, heading around the side of the ship slowly, eyes peeled for an attack. The fact that there was no one trying to attack her set her on edge. She raised her saber high as she stalked around the side of the ship. She sensed several people nearby and stopped, breathing heavily, and trying to focus.

Her eyes widened suddenly as she sensed someone behind her, whirling just in time to bring her lightsaber up to block the attack. Sparks flew as the two sabers hit one another. Rey was face to face with a woman, anger on her face, holding Kylo’s lightsaber. Rey narrowed her eyes and rage settled hotly in the pit of her stomach.

The circled around each other, both with sabers raised, rain pouring down both their faces.

“That doesn’t belong to you,” Rey spat.

The woman, who must be Jesmaee, the defected Knight of Ren, scoffed. “He couldn’t keep hold of it, so it belongs to me now.”

Rey roared as she charged the woman, who barely managed to get her saber up in time to deflect. Rey pushed her back with each parry. The woman stumbled, tripping on the bodies that littered the now empty field as the battle had been pushed back to the tree line. In the distance Rey could still hear the scream of the X-Wings flying overhead.

“Why did you do it?” Rey yelled, recalling Kylo’s sense of betrayal.

Anger flashed in Jesmaae’s eyes as she suddenly goes on the offensive, pushing Rey back now. Rey ducked under one slash of the unstable, red lightsaber, circling behind the woman and swinging her saber. Jesmaae whirled around, blocking Rey’s attack, pushing forward.

“Why did I do it?” Jesmaae seethed as Rey grunted, trying to hold her ground. “Because he had lost sight of our mission.” She sneered at her. “All because he met some scavenger from Jakku. He could have been the next Palpatine. Instead he killed our leader, ignored the First Order, and spent all his energy searching for you.”

Jesmaae shouted as she shoved Rey away from her. Rey stumbled back a few feet, taken aback by Jesmaae’s admission.

* * *

As Kylo rounded the right side of the ship he felt a spike of adrenaline rush through him. Rey must have encountered someone. It takes his entire concentration not to go running after her, reminding himself that the only way this ends is with Hux dead. As he rounded the corner to the open bay door, he senses something is off, but without his eyes, he is unsure what it is.

Just in time he heard the whine of blaster bolt, barely managing to raise his saber in time to block it. Suddenly he sensed many more bodies than he had originally and wonders briefly how they had hidden so many from him.

He has no time to dwell on this as he is suddenly assaulted with bolt after bolt. Kylo yelled for the rest of his team, hoping they can hear him over the raging storm. He ducked back around the corner of the ship, but sensed the stormtroopers rounding the corner to fire at him. Thankfully he sensed his comrades come rushing up behind him with blasters and other assorted weapons. Between them all, Kylo is finally able to regain some ground, pushing back the line towards the interior of the ship.

Kylo sensed bodies falling around him, their life force dimming as they perish. With all the bodies surrounding him and his Knights, Kylo has lost sense of where Hux is. He tried his best to sense those around him in hopes of locating his nemesis, but can’t find Hux’s signature anywhere. Snarling, he charged forward, slashing left and right at those in front of him. He felt the sting of a blaster bolt hitting his side, but ignored it and continued to charge forward. After taking down trooper after trooper Kylo realized that Hux is not on the shuttle. Rage builds in his chest at having lost the man when he feels a sudden spike of fear.

“Rey,” he whispered, stumbling over bodies in his haste to get to her.

* * *

Rey now found herself on the defensive, being pushed back as Jesmaae lunges forward, slashing with a speed Rey can barely keep up with. She suddenly becomes aware of her injured leg as it’s jostled against a dead body as she stumbles backwards, trying to fend off the attack. Fear and rage war inside her and she’s sure that the rage isn’t her own.

Rey stopped her backward defensive fight and again tries to feint to the left to gain the upper hand. Jesmaae sensed her intent, however, and blocked her attack.

“Another Palpatine?” Rey said, angrily. “Palpatine terrorized this galaxy. Ben is meant for more than being just another tyrant!”

Jesmaae scoffed at her. “What do you know of it?” she shouted, lunging forward again. “Palpatine ruled the galaxy and Kylo could have taken over that mantle. We had all but completely decimated your pitiful Resistance. And instead of pursuing you and ending you entirely, Kylo gives up the fight. Meanwhile the galaxy grows restless. The time to secure our power is now and Kylo squanders it.”

Jesmaee has been steadily pushing Rey backwards, but has become distracted in her anger. Rey saw an opportunity and slashed her saber forward, knocking the lightsaber out of Jesmaae’s hand. Before she can try to call it back, Rey charged her. Jesmaae ducked down, picking up a weapon from a fallen trooper and slashes it towards her. Rey anticipated the weapon hitting her saber and being sliced in two, but Jesmaae doesn’t aim for the saber, instead hitting Rey’s wrist.

In her shock, the pain in her wrist caused her to drop her saber. Like Rey did, Jesmaae gave Rey no opportunity to call the weapon back towards her as she quickly attacks. Rey stumbled backwards, looking around in a panic for a weapon to fight off her assailant as Jesmaae swung her weapon back and forth trying to hit Rey.

Rey, her attention split, hit a body with her injured leg and fell backwards. When she looked up it was as if time had slowed. Her eyes widen as Jesmaae pulls the weapon back, and Rey can sense that she is aiming to kill. Her breath caught, a sense of déjà vu washing over her. Too stunned to look for a weapon around her, Rey lifted her hands up in defense. But before Jesmaae can bring the weapon down a lightsaber suddenly pierced through her abdomen. Rey watched in horror as Jesmaae screams, falling down, her force signature dimming.

Rey looked up at Kylo and her breath catches. She’s seen this all before, the first time she touched Luke’s lightsaber. This had been part of her vision. Only at the time she assumed her fear stemmed from Kylo’s presence. There are some details changed, such as the lack of helmets hiding the faces of Kylo and his Knights, but otherwise everything was the same, down to the storm raging around them.

* * *

Kylo marched over to Rey, holding out a hand to help her up. She blinked at him for several seconds, in a daze, before shaking her head and grabbing his hand. She stared at the saber in his hand as he helped her up and he sensed her confusion.

“I sensed it as I ran by and called it to me,” he said simply.

Rey nodded, closing her eye. Holding out her hand, her saber came flying back to her. Kylo unhooked the other saber from his belt, handing it over to her. She took it and fit the halves back together, creating her saber staff once again.

They could both hear the sounds of battle behind them.

Kylo held out his hand. “Come on.”

Rey nodded, grabbing his hand and causing the world to reappear before him. The storm still raged, dumping buckets of rain on their heads, and the field around them was littered with dead bodies. They took off immediately, leaving the dead behind in the hopes of saving their friends.

“Hux wasn’t there,” Kylo said, breathing heavily. “He used the cover of stormtroopers to get away. I don’t know where he is.” The acrid taste of bitterness flooded his mouth at his failure to find and kill the man he despised.

“He won’t get away,” Rey said firmly as they drew closer to the fray.

The First Order had been steadily pushing back the Resistance and Naboo forces, though by the looks of things, the First Order had lost many more troops than the Resistance and Naboo had. The air force had managed to disable all the AT-AT’s and were now battling against wave after wave of TIE Fighters. On the ground the line between sides had been blurred as both sides fought hand-to-hand. Kylo swept his gaze across the field, spotting his mother behind an outcrop with the other generals, all with blasters in hand.

Rey pulled Kylo towards them as she spotted his mother as well. He allowed himself to be pulled back in the direction of his mother, though he itched to find Hux. Just as they reached the group a series of loud booms shook the ground around them, louder than any of the thunder had been thus far.

“What was that?” Kylo yelled over the din.

“That would be reinforcements!” shouted a Naboo general back at him. “And by the sounds of it, they have just taken down the First Order ships in orbit!”

“What reinforcements?” Rey asked, turning towards Leia, looking incredulous.

“As it turns out,” Leia said, “Once word got out that Naboo was helping the resistance more systems pledged to join, sending ships to take care of the force orbiting the planet. I didn’t know for sure they were coming until after you had already left-“

Kylo suddenly whipped his head around, sensing impending danger. Before he could think, he ran and pushed his mother down, a blaster bolt hitting him in the process. Unlike the sting he had felt on his side, this bolt hit right above his heart, a burst of pain wracking his entire body. Before he had hit the ground he blacked out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh. So sorry about the long wait! I had a massive case of writer's block on this chapter. I didn't have it blocked out in as much detail as I needed and then some of my plans didn't work. Anyway, I got it all sorted out eventually! There are only 2 more chapters left of this fic, and I'm super excited to share the ending with you. For those wondering what Chewie says, it's translated to:  
> (1) What's he going to do?  
> (2) Come on then.
> 
> Thanks so much for reading. Please let me know what you think!


	12. Chapter 12

#  **Chapter 12**

_I forgive you, son…_

The phantom voice  echoed in Kylo’s head as he slowly came to. He blinked several times, confused at first why everything was dark. Feeling hands holding both of his, he tried to move his head, to sit up, hissing when a shooting pain accompanied the movement.

Before he could shake away the confusion, he felt the now familiar tug on the connection between him and Rey and the world blossomed into view. His eyes immediately went to Rey’s and he found them red-rimmed, tear tracks running down her face. He felt a strange comfort in the fact that she had been crying for him as he watched her inhale shakily, before a single sob choked its way out of her.

At the sound he saw movement on his right and looked over, finding his mother holding his other hand, staring at him in both fear and wonder.

Swallowing, he choked down his guilt and uncertainty. “Mother.” His voice came out raspy.

Leia loosed a breath, bringing a hand up to cup his cheek. She paused just before she touched him, uncertainty in her face. Kylo closed his eyes as waves of emotion hit him. Feelings he had long buried under bitterness and anger resurfaced. He recalled a small boy, desperately wanting the affection of his parents, feeling the abandonment of being left alone with nothing more than droids to watch him. He also recalled the face of his father as Kylo had driven the lightsaber through his chest and pulled his hand from his mother’s grasp, turning his face away.

“Ben,” Leia whispered, “please don’t shut me out.”

Kylo swallow thickly, trying and failing to stop the barrage of emotions coursing through him.

“It’s too late,” he rasped, hearing the echo of those same words spoken once before.

“No.” Kylo opened his eyes as Leia shook her head, leaning closer. “It’s not too late. There’s good in you. You’re not a part of the dark side.”

Kylo looked at her, hope blossoming in his chest despite his best efforts. Shaking his head he replied, “I killed Han-“ his voice choked off as emotion began to overwhelm him. Pressing his lips together in his attempt to reign in his emotions, he shook his head again.

Leia swallowed, her eyes filling with tears. “I forgive you. Please come back to me. Whatever you’ve done, you’re still my son.”

“I can’t go back to the boy you knew,” he said in response, shocked by her easy forgiveness of an unforgivable crime. “I’m not a sith, but neither am I a jedi. I don’t use the light side of the force and I don’t want to.”

“You don’t have to,” Rey said then. Kylo flicked his eyes to her, having momentarily forgotten she was even present.

“The force isn’t meant to be divided into light and dark,” she said, echoing her earlier words in his cell. “It’s about a balance between the two.”

Kylo was saved from having to respond when a door opened and Poe entered.

“Leia,” he said, “The team has assembled to decide what to do with Kylo.”

Kylo swallowed, looking between his mother and Rey, torn between bitterness and hope. Leia rose, looking down at him, a war of emotions flickering in her eyes before she leaned down and kissed him on the forehead. Before she turned she looked down at him again, and what he saw both confused him and gave him hope. He saw an emotion he had once craved from his mother filling her expression. Love.

Leia patted his cheek, turned, and walked towards the door.

“Ben.”

All eyes turned towards Kylo as the word was ripped from his mouth, a decision he hadn’t consciously made forcing the word from his lips without his permission.

Breathing deeply, Kylo looked first at his mother before turning to Poe, who had a questioning look on his face.

“My name is Ben, not Kylo.”

His mother’s mouth fell open and Poe’s eyebrows flew upwards. He felt a squeeze on his hand and looked over at Rey, hope and happiness making her eyes shine. When he looked back at the pair by the door, Poe merely nodded at him and then walked out. Leia gave him a long, searching look, her lips pressed together, her eyes shining with emotion, before she too nodded and walked out the door.

When they were alone, Ben turned his face again to Rey, who was rubbing her thumb along the inside of his wrist.

A stabbing feeling in his chest reminded him why he was there, causing him to hiss in pain. Rey sucked in a breath.

“Are you ok? Do you need me to get someone? I can have the med droid come.” Her words came quickly, colored with panic.

Ben shook his head. “I’m fine.” Looking around, he asked, “What happened?”

Rey took a deep breath, the corners of her mouth turning up. “We did it. We won.”

Ben frowned in confusion. “We won? How?” Last he had seen, the battle was still raging and Hux was nowhere to be found.

“When Naboo joined us, the queen sent out a distress call to all her allies. Once they heard that the Resistance had enough soldiers to have a fighting chance, more people joined us. Hux was aboard his ship when the allies arrived and blew it up. With Hux gone and you and your Knights of Ren on our side, the rest of the First Order surrendered. There have been endless meetings about what to do with those that are left.”

Ben digested this information and frowned as he recalled Poe’s words. “Poe said they were holding a meeting about what to do with me.” He looked at Rey’s face. “What happened to my Knights?”

Rey swallowed. “They’re being held in cells while they await the republic’s decision.”

“The republic?” Ben’s frown intensified. “How long have I been asleep?”

Darkness entered Rey’s expression and Ben felt her fear and anxiety.

 “Well over a week,” she replied softly.

“A week?”

Rey swallowed. “We weren’t sure you would survive. The med droid wanted to give up on you, but…” Rey took a shuddering breath. “Leia wouldn’t let it.”

Ben’s eyebrows rose in shock. “My mother…wouldn’t let it?”

Rey shook her head. “She fought for you, Ben. She threatened to sell the droid for scrap if it gave up.”

Ben’s breathing increased as feelings threatened to overwhelm him. His mother had fought for him?

“She’s fighting for you right now,” Rey said, likely sensing his thoughts.

Ben’s eyes flicked to hers. “What do you mean?”

Rey considered him a moment, her gaze flicking back and forth between his eyes. It was then that he realized how close they were. Rey was leaning towards him, less than a foot away.

“Leia is fighting to make sure that you live. She’s trying to convince the republic that it was in part your defection from the First Order that saved the republic. She’s asking for clemency.” By the time Rey finished speaking her voice was a whisper.

Ben swallowed as something in the air changed between them. His heart felt lighter with the news that his mother was fighting for him, that she had fought to save him when she could easily have let him die. He deserved death for the things he had done…

“No.” Rey’s response was a fiercely spoken whisper. “Never say that.”

“Rey…”

Ben didn’t get a chance to respond when Rey suddenly leaned forward, pressing her lips to his. In his shock he inhaled sharply. Rey started to pull away and he could feel her embarrassment through the bond. Shaking his head, he quickly placed his hands on either side of her face and pulled her back down, ignoring the stab of pain the effort cost him. He tilted his head to one side, then the other, pressing his lips to hers over and over again as she leaned forward so that she was almost half laying on him. He couldn’t remember ever feeling as happy as he did at this moment and he cursed his injuries for keeping him from doing more than kissing.

“I’m not sure that’s the best way to recover from a chest injury.”

They broke apart quickly, both turning towards the voice, finding Luke looking at them with his eyebrows raised.

Ben huffed, exasperated, as Rey straightened up, a blush blooming on her cheeks.

“What do you want?” he asked.

Luke clasped his hands behind his back and walked towards them. “Can’t an uncle stop by to say hello to his ailing nephew?”

Ben narrowed his eyes, feeling anger and bitterness rise up, suffocating his earlier happiness. “Why do you care?”

Luke stopped a few feet from the bed, peering down at Ben. Luke’s expression confused him until, with a start, he realized it was worry that colored his uncle’s expression.

Ben huffed a laugh of disbelief. “Unbelievable.”

“Ben-” Rey started to say. Ben pulled his hand away from her so he didn’t have to look at his uncle but when the rest of the world went dark, Rey and Luke remained in his vision.

Ben looked over at Rey. “You want me to forgive the man who so easily thought to kill his own nephew?” His eyes snapped back to Luke. “My parents were scared of me. Did you know I knew that? I heard them talking about me, about how they would get rid of their problem by sending me to you. Does my mother even know what you tried to do? The great hero of the galaxy, the man who tried to save Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, tried to kill his own nephew. I wonder what people would think of you if they knew the truth.”

When Ben finished speaking he was breathing heavily, as if he had been running instead of speaking. It was only then that he realized Luke had been taking his tirade with a calm, albeit sad, expression.

“Tell them,” Luke said.

Ben recoiled in shock. “What?”

Luke took another step towards them. “Tell them what I did. If it brings you peace then it doesn’t matter what people think of a dead man.”

There was silence between them as Ben stared at his uncle, trying to figure out if he was being sincere or if this was another trick.

“It’s not a trick.” Luke sighed. “I told you on Crait that I failed you and was sorry. I meant it. That’s why I denied you the pleasure of killing me. Why do you think I went into hiding in the first place? Fear?” He shook his head as Ben continued to gasp, his emotions roiling. “It wasn’t fear. It was shame. How could I face Han and Leia knowing I had driven their son right into the hands of Snoke, that I had tried to murder their only son? How could I face the galaxy when I had given the First Order their strongest weapon? It was my failure. My failure in thinking I knew how to help you, how to teach you to harness the darkness, in not seeing that you were being manipulated by someone. Everything that happened from the moment I agreed to teach you was due to my failure.”

A long moment of silence passed between them as Ben tried to figure out what he was feeling. The bitterness that had long been his companion was starting to break apart at his uncle’s admission. In its place was a hollowness, a void Ben didn’t know how to go about filling.

Luke finally looked away from Ben towards Rey. “You did good, kid.” He glanced back at Ben. “You both did good.” After a beat he continued speaking to Rey. “You were also right.”

Rey raised her eyebrows as she grabbed Ben’s hand again, causing the room to snap into view. “About what?”

“Turning Ben to our side saved the galaxy.”

Ben’s head snapped towards Rey. She had said that?

Rey smiled and squeezed Ben’s hand, straightening up as she spoke. “I’m going to continue translating the texts. We can’t let the Jedi order leave the galaxy entirely. There must be others who are sensitive to the force.”

Ben looked at her. “The texts from Ach-to?”

Rey nodded. “They’re the original texts of the Jedi Order. They’re all that remains. But the language they were written in isn’t one I speak, so it has been hard to translate them. I thought about using C3PO but I didn’t want to take him away from Leia.”

“I can read them,” Ben replied.

Rey’s eyebrows rose. “How do you know that?”

Before Ben could respond there was a chuckle. They both looked at Luke. “My nephew enjoyed ancient languages. He even had a calligraphy set he used to play around with.”

Ben rolled his eyes. “I wasn’t playing around.” Embarrassment made his face feel hot as he looked at Rey. “I didn’t like the idea that old things should pass away. I even designed my lightsaber based on an ancient design.”

Rey pressed her lips together, the corners of her mouth turning up. “So did I.”

Ben’s eyes dropped to Rey’s lips and the energy changed between them.

Luke cleared his throat, raising his eyebrows in warning when they both jumped and turned back to him.

“Why are you still here?” Ben asked, annoyed.

Ignoring Ben, Luke looked at Rey. “I think you have the makings of a wonderful teacher.”

Rey smiled, squeezing Ben’s hand as she looked at him, saying. “We both do.”

Ben stared at her in surprise as Rey looked at him with uncertainty in her expression. Taking a deep breath, knowing what Rey was asking of him, he nodded.

Feeling a change in the force, they looked towards Luke, finding him gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good grief! As short as this chapter is, you'd think I could have written it sooner. Writer's block hit big time and this sucker was like pulling teeth. But I did it! LOL
> 
> All we have left is the epilogue. *tear* I'm hoping to get that written and posted by tomorrow. *fingers crossed* Thanks so much for everyone who's read, reviewed, and kudo'd. It's always appreciated! :)


	13. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to make sure you didn't miss anything, I did just post Chapter 12 yesterday, so if you haven't read it, please go back a chapter first. :)

# Epilogue

_Five Years Later_

“Are you sure you can’t stay longer?” Rey asked.

Leia sighed. “I wish I could, but the senate is voting on new trade laws tomorrow and I have to be there.” She groaned as she stood up. “I’m beginning to wonder if it might be time to step down as Chancellor. It’s starting to require more energy than I have.”

Rey smiled at her as they both walked out onto the balcony leading to the stairs. Leia stopped, walking over to the edge of the balcony, placing her hands on the balustrade and looking out at the view.

“I do wish I could spend more time here,” she said wistfully.

Rey placed her hand on top of Leia’s. “We would love to have you.” She too looked out at the view. Though Rey had lived on Naboo for going on five years, she had never quite gotten over her wonder at a world so full of color. “How is Admiral Dameron liking his new position?”

Leia chuckled. “He’s dealing with politicians a lot more than he would like. I think he misses the inside of a cockpit as well, but he’s finally figured out you can’t be a flyboy forever.” She paused. “And I think he has all the makings of a great leader, which is what the Army of the Republic needs.”

Rey nodded. “How are Finn and Rose? I haven’t seen much of either of them recently. Last I heard, they were stationed in the outer rim.”

Leia nodded. “They both requested the assignment. I think Finn got tired of training new recruits, which is a shame because all his trainees are exceptional. But stopping the slave trade for good is personal for them both.”

Rey nodded. “That’s what Finn said when I last heard from him.” Rey almost wished she could go with them, but she had other responsibilities of equal importance.

Rey pushed off the balustrade.

“Come say goodbye?” she asked Leia.

Leia smiled, years melting off her face as her eyes brightened. “Of course.”

* * *

The sounds of lightsabers clashing filled the field around Ben, though he was too preoccupied with his own student to notice.

Placing a stone the size of his hand on the ground in front of him, where he sat cross-legged across from his pupil, he nodded. “Lift the stone.”

He sensed the small child tentatively reaching out into the force, could feel her trying hard to lift the stone, though he sensed that it remained on the ground.

Huffing in frustration, the child said angrily, “I can’t do it!”

Ben pressed his lips together in amusement at her fit of temper. “You can. Close your eyes and tell me what you feel.”

He heard her sigh and then after a moment she said, “I feel the force.”

“And where is it?” Ben asked.

“Everywhere,” came the immediate reply.

“Can you feel it surrounding the stone?” He asked.

There was silence for a moment before finally a strained, “Yes.”

He shook his head. “Don’t force it. The force is not about size, weight, or how old you are. It’s a balance. You simply need to use the force inside yourself to manipulate the force around the stone and command it to lift.”

As the girl continued to concentrate on lifting the stone, Ben swept his own force out to those around him, ever searching for danger. Though he had been on Naboo for the past five years, banished by the Republic to remain here until his death, he still had not let his guard down. The Empire had given way to the First Order. With the death of the First Order, Ben wondered what new power would come to terrorize the galaxy.

Rey assured him that it had been the absence of proper balance in the force that had created that void. When the Naboo queen had readily volunteered her planet for his banishment, Rey had requested permission to start a Jedi academy on the planet. The queen had again agreed though she had also warned them they had to convince the Gungans as well. Indeed it _had_ taken a lot of convincing, which Ben had found tedious, but eventually they had agreed.

With the help of his Knights of Ren, also banished, Rey and Ben had started their academy. The first year there were precious few students, as the galaxy still feared Ben’s former self, but with each year after their ranks swelled. Currently they had forty students of various ages. Ben had translated the books Rey had taken from Ach-to and it was upon these tenets of the original Jedi codes that they had built their school. Not Jedi versus Sith, light versus dark, but a balance between them.

Finally the child managed to get the stone off the ground several inches. “I did it!” she exclaimed.

Ben smiled. “Very good.” He placed another stone on the ground. “Now lift this one as well.”

Ben could sense her concentration and pressed his lips together again in amusement as he sensed Rey and his mother coming towards them. He tugged on his bond with Rey and she, his mother, and their students all snapped into view.

He turned to look at the child before him, reveling always that the force allowed him to see her. She had his fair skin and temper, but Rey’s green eyes and brown hair. Just that moment she gasped, sensing her mother and grandmother behind her. Letting the stones drop she jumped up and ran towards his mother as Ben stood up.

“Grandma!” she shouted, hugging her grandmother’s legs, her head barely reaching Leia’s waist.

Leia placed both hands on the child’s head. “Padmé, you get bigger every time I see you.”

Padmé looked up, smiling. “I used the force!”

Leia’s eyebrows rose in mock surprise. “You did?”

Padmé nodded excitedly. “I lifted a rock!”

As the pair of them chattered on, Rey walked over to Ben, placing her arm around his waist as he placed his arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head.

“She has to leave already?” Ben asked, disappointed. He tried not to dwell on the feelings of abandonment that arose every time his mother left because the republic needed her. Rey squeezed his side in understanding.

Turning her face to him, Rey said, “She said she’s thinking of stepping down as Chancellor.”

Ben raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Really?”

Rey nodded and turned to look back at Leia and Padmé. “She said she was getting too old, but I think she wants to be near her family.”

Just then Ben noticed Padmé’s face start to scrunch up. “Uh oh,” he said as the child ran towards him.

“Make her stay, make her stay, dada!” she cried, wrapping her arms around Ben’s knees. He stooped down and picked her up. She pressed her face into his neck as Ben sighed.

“You know what grandma does is very important.” He looked at his mother as she walked towards them.

“I’ll be back again soon, Padmé,” Leia said, trying to placate the child.

Padmé lifted her head, her tears drying up. “Really? You promise?”

Ben raised his eyebrows at his mother, warning her not to give false promises.

Leia gave him a look of her own, warning him not to cross her. “I promise,” she said to Padmé.

Padmé narrowed her eyes, and Ben could sense her trying to use the force to make sure Leia was telling the truth. He shared a glance with Rey, who sighed. “Padmé, we talked about this. You never use the force to sense the minds of those around you unless…?”

Padme stuck her lip out, pouting. “Unless you’re on a mission,” she finished.

“Sorry to leave you, but I really do have to get back,” Leia said, and Ben was surprised to see real regret on her face. Maybe she would retire soon after all.

Ben handed Padmé over to Rey and went to hug his mother. It had taken a couple years to become comfortable enough in one another’s presence for a hug, but hugging when saying goodbye was becoming a regular occurrence now.

As they watched Leia’s ship depart, Ben looked down at Rey and Padmé, who was still sulking, and wondered how he had ever ended up with such a life.

**The End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so so so much for reading this! It kind of became more sappy than I thought it would be, but there it is. I'm not changing it, even if I'm not a huge "Reylo kids" person for the actual movie. :P
> 
> On a personal note, this story has meant a lot to me for a couple reasons. I hadn't written regularly for about 5 years before this fic and hadn't written at all in about 3 years. 5 years ago I developed arthritis in my neck so that my vertebrae swell and press against my spinal chord. As a result I have chronic pain and have to take medication to manage it. I stopped writing because the medication makes it difficult for me to think and I have terrible short term memory. Enter Reylo and The Last Jedi (I've been a shipper since TFA). A friend of mine pushed me to write a fic for Reylo because she likes my writing and knew I used to enjoy it. Not gonna lie, it was really difficult at first just stringing words together. And this is a plot driven story rather than a character driven story, so not my comfort zone. But I think overall this has been a great experience for me, a way of giving me a piece of my life back that the pain had stolen from me. So whether you just read this after it was complete or have been patiently waiting for updates since I started it in February, thank you so much for reading!


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